THANKFUL, by Elaine Vickers and Samantha Cotterill, Simon & Schuster/Paula Wiseman Books, Sept. 7, 2021, Hardcover, $17.99 (ages 4-8)
Thankful, a picture book by Elaine Vickers and Samantha Cotterill, celebrates the season of giving and reflection.
“I am thankful for a home where I am safe and warm.
Thankful for parents who read me stories and comb my hair gently, gently.
Who whisper the same poem every night when they tuck me in.”
When the first snow falls, a little girl writes down the things she’s thankful for on strips of paper and links them together. As one idea leads to another, her chain grows longer. There’s so much good in her life: a friend, things that are warm, things that are cold, color, things that can be fixed. —Synopsis provided by Simon & Schuster/Paula Wiseman Books
Thankful is a beautiful book from beginning to end. From the idea that, “Every year when the first snow falls, we make thankful chains to last us through December,” to listing all the things — big and small — to be grateful for, this book oozes joy and appreciation.
Elaine Vickers’ gentle and loving prose sets the framework for some amazing art by Samantha Cotterill. And when I say amazing, I mean it. Her hand built three-dimensional sets photographed with a digital SLR camera are unlike anything I’ve ever seen. There’s such a sense of movement and space that you feel almost like you are watching a movie, even though the pages are static. It seriously is so cool.
I suggest buying Thankful not as a lead up to Thanksgiving but for the day itself. Reading it, and then creating your own chains for the month of December would be a great family activity — and I think for my family — the start of a new tradition.
