Shaun Steiner’s Blog

1621: A New Look at Thanksgiving

by Catherine O'Neill Grace and Margaret M. Bruchac, with Plimoth Plantation
Photographed by Sisse Brimberg and Cotton Coulson 

Published by National Geographic Society, 2001
48 pages
ISBN: 0–7922–7027–4

Ages 7 - 14

What really happened at the first harvest gathering between Wampanoag Indians and English settlers? So little was documented then that, over time, the event has become mythologized and celebrated as the U.S. Thanksgiving holiday. Based on the in-depth research conducted in recent years at the Plimoth Plantation living history museum, Grace and Bruchac separate fact from fantasy and provide an account of what most likely happened. Color photographs from a three-day reenactment that occurred at Plimoth Plantation in 2000 add accurate cultural and historical details

The Genre of this short story is Narrative..

Motivational Activities

1. I would have the children write 2 or 3 sentences telling me how things were back in 1621 in America.
2. Discussion Questions:

• How was life different in 1621?
• Where did the settlers and the Indians have their meals? Why did the Settlers call this Thanksgiving?
• How would you react if you were the Settlers in 1621 and indians gave you food? What would you say to them?

• Personal Comment:
1. I really enjoyed reading this book because it shows the diversity of each child. The children will see that everyone is different. Each child will see how it really was on Plymouth Rock.

2. The book is good for children who are not exposed to many other cultures.

• About Catherine O'Neill Grace
• Catherine O'Neill Grace, currently a writer and editor, has worked in the past as an elementary, middle and high school teacher. She was educated at Middlebury College where she received a BA cum laude in English Literature and Georgetown University where she also received her MA in English Literature. She has held editorial positions for a number of publications including The Saint Paul Pioneer Press, The National Geographic Society, The Washington Post, USA Today and Independent School magazine. Grace wrote a column on the subject of health and psychology for younger readers in the Washington Post and has also written a number of nonfiction children’s books.
  Among her many books, Grace wrote The White House An Illustrated History, published by Scholastic Nonfiction in 2003. This book was published in cooperation with the White House Historical Association. It includes more than 200 photographs, offers behind the scenes glimpses of life today inside the White House and includes a narrative about the history of the landmark. “This accessible volume is filled with interesting facts, and is a handsomely designed tribute to a symbol of freedom and democracy.” —School Library Journal
  Grace and her husband, a headmaster, live on the campus of a boarding school near Boston.

• Other books by Catherine O'Neill Grace.
1. I want to be a firefighter.
2. Best Friends Worst Enemies

References

Grace, C. O., & Plantation, P. (2001). 1621: A new look at the first thanksgiving. Washington, D.C.: National Geographic Society.