Edna Barth cites Benjamin Franklin's wish that the Turkey had been selected as the representation of the United States since it was a much more respectable bird than the Bald Eagle, as well as a true original native of North America. Instead, the turkey is a symbol of one of the most American of holidays, Thanksgiving. For young readers who always think of the little band of Pilgrims who founded Plymouth Colony celebrating the first Thanksgiving, Barth and artist Ursula Arndt (pen drawings with yellow shading) try to provide a truer picture of what actually happened (e.g., Pilgrims were dressed in bright colors, not the drab costumes we traditionally depict them wearing) and how other symbols came to be associated with the holiday. From the turkey and cornstalks and ears of multicolored Indian corn and the fruits of the harvest spilling out of a horn of plenty, Barth explains everything (including my favorite, how we got from Crane Berry to Cranberry). In fact, Barth traces the holiday back to the harvest festivals of the Egyptians, Hebrews, Greek, and Celts. There is also a list of Thanksgiving stories, poems, pageants, and plays for future reference. "Turkeys, Pilgrims, and Indian Corn" is one of several books authored by Barth looking at holiday symbols: other books cover Valentine, Halloween, Christmas and Easter. All of these books are written to be accessible to children and even though they are now over a quarter century old, they remain solid sources of information. All in all, this little book is a nice concise presentation of information useful to students and teachers alike at this time of year.

This non-fiction work of Barth's is one of many she has written on the origin of holidays. It is written on a level for children, but with facts that adults may not know, either. Barth exposes many myths about clothing, etc..concerning the Pilgrims and Native Americans one may not know. Except for some minor editorialization regarding religion, this is an outstanding book.

In only 64 pages the author traces the origins of today's Valentine's Day back to the pre-Christian Roman festival of Lupercalia, and finds the connections to various courting customs and symbols through the ages. Although small, the book is no lightweight -- it's packed with apparently well-researched and detailed information. The monochrome illustrations that accompany the text are appropriately sparing. There are plenty of other books with lots of big, colorful pictures but none with as much information conveyed so clearly and pleasantly in so little space!

Barth's book about Christmas is a pithy explanation concerning the Christian and Non-Christian origins of the symbols taken for granted during the Yuletide season. Informative for children and adults, this title is a must for all libraries and will give the reader a deeper appreciation for a magical time of the year.

What a wonderful book for adults and children alike. I found this book to be a terrific help in understanding some of the legends and history of Ireland and St. Patrick's Day. It was also invaluable in explaining these to my younger children, both at home and in Sunday School classes.

Both the writing and the illustrations work to offer a better understanding of Irish traditions. All in all, not only an educational read, but a pleasant one, too!

This upcoming St. Patrick's day will be my first since I married an Irish lass and I have been studying for her family's holiday examination using Edna Barth's "Shamrocks, Harps, and Shillelaghs: The Story of St. Patrick's Day Symbols." After giving us the history of St. Patrick himself, Barth covers the holiday through the centuries (which is where you learn all the appropriate Gaelic phrases and greetings). The Troubles are covered in chapters dealing with "The Wearin' of the Green" and the Irish tricolor. We then learn pretty much everything there is worth knowing about the Irish Shamrock, St. Patrick riding Ireland of Snakes, Shillelaghs, Poetry, Harps, Pipes, Fiddles, Top Hats, Clay Pipes, Petticoats, Leprechauns, Poteen, Potatoes and Parades. Barth's attention to details is what elevates this book; from the green sox American officials wore in 1959 when greeting the Irish Prime Minister to the tales of blind O'Carolan, the last of the great Irish harpists. This book is illustrated by Ursula Arndt with black (and green) ink drawings. I am sure everyone with Irish blood flowing in their veins knows everything contained within this book, but for those of us who have serious in-laws to deal with, this book is a true blessing come March 17th. I would think Barth's other books regarding holiday symbols are equally informative.

I was very pleased to read this book. I was looking for a book that would accurately tell me the origin of valentines day and the way in which it has evolved. This book did it for me.

I've owned this book from a long time ago and I still enjoy it. Focusing on Dickinson's life as a poet and the irony of publication times (her poems were discovered only after she passed away) this is a book that fans of poetry and fans of Emily will love.

The author of "trick not a treat" (review below) has it right. I am a major Halloween-ophile and have been for years. This book is a random survey that jams together entire centuries -- make that millenia! -- into the same paragraph, citing dates when the author feels like it and to convey a phony sense of "history" and then settling for the considerably more vague "in olden times" or "in the past" when the author doesn't feel like supporting her facts. I got a headache reading and trying to follow and make sense of this book from its very first chapter. It was impossible to tell when she made a transition from talking about the Druids to just talking about "the past" in some vague, generic sense. In the chapter on witches, she skipped at whim between the Stone Age, Middle Ages and the Salem Witch Trials of the late 17th century. Frequently, the reader doesn't even know WHERE the events she is describing took place.

It would be folly for a teacher to give this book to a child who wants to learn about Halloween. The book is a model of bad scholarship, and if the book doesn't discourage the child's sense of the fun of Halloween -- there is no joy here, only pretension and misunderstanding -- it will surely give kids the wrong kind of example of what history and the study of myth and legend and folklore should be.

The author also can't seem to decide (again, as the other reviewer noted) what kind of book she wants to write -- history or just a fun celebration of Halloween -- with the result that we don't know what we're reading, either. You'd get more of a sense of the spirit and fun of this quintessential American holiday (as it's evolved) by reading fiction or renting a movie than from this dry, errant account.

Halloween isn't just for kids and it isn't just for witches(!) either! As a lover of this holiday, I'd have treasured either a factually accurate account of the Halloween symbols -- which this silly little book purports to be -- or, conversely, a celebration of the spirit of those symbols offered by someone who understands their allure and power. This book offers neither. It's junk, and you shouldn't clutter your (or God forbid, children's) minds with its mock scholarship and insipid, lazy generalizations.

Halloween is too important and too much fun to be left in the hands of the Edna Barths of the world -- people who just don't get it and who think we're too dull to get it, too.

i was offended by how poorly researched this book was. i wonder if ms. barth did any research on halloween and it's ancient beginnings at all. she blunders through distinctions between fairytale witches and actual practicers of the craft. in these modern times i expect non-biased writing and the acknowledged differences between storybook witches and pagans or wiccans. the fact is hallowen did originate in the celtic samhain rituals. ms. barth does mention a few interesting halloween customs. but so much of what is written is completely unsupported. for example- she states druids worshipped the lord of the dead. really and who would that be? her knowledge of fairy folklore is terribly lacking and presented in a scattered manner. this book couldn't decide between showcasing a fun, spooky look at halloween and discussing the historical myths and practices of halloween. the results are bleak. the creepy, kiddy part is lacking in joy and the factual, symbolic part is wholly unsubstantiated. i really question whether ms. barth enjoys the holiday at all. at the end the ms. barth states the halloween really has no serious meaning anymore, it's just a holiday for children. i find this view saddening. the holiday means a lot to modern witches who celebrate samhain. this holiday also means a lot to many people of all ages who enjoy the darker side of things even if it's only one day a year. dressing up in morbid, fabulous costumes, consuming delicious foods, lighting jack o'lanterns, carving pumpkins and telling ghost stories are all important aspects of an older ritual celebration. the connection to the past is strong and one need not know all the details of the pagan samhain festivities to feel the spirit that is centuries old. if you are really interested in halloween's origin check out the chapter on samhain in the farrars 'the witches bible compleat'. want to revel in the spooky goodness of all hallow's eve- go watch 'hocus pocus'. until october 31st- happy halloween!

This 19-chapter, 95-page delight, written in 1972, covers a multitude of areas, from the history of Halloween, to the ways it is celebrated today. The book is intended for an audience of third and fourth graders. And it has something for everyone.

Most children wonder about the origins of Halloween. This book offers them just enough of the history to fascinate them and whet their appetites for more, but not so much that they will never want to read history again.

Did you know, for example, that the Celtic people, who lived more than 2,000 years ago in France and the British Isles, feared October 31, as the eve of their festival of Samhain, Lord of the Dead? Celtic priests, called Druids, held fire rites at these times, at which they sometimes burned prisoners alive, to punish them and to predict the future. But Samhain was also a joyful festival, marking the death of the old year and the start of a new one. There are also brief sections on the history of fairies, Goblins and Little People. The book relates how the stories of these creatures came into being, and leaves open the possibility that they were real.

Barth also offers tasteful sections on the history of witches (whose sabbaths were joyful) and the Horned God, from Biblical times through the Middle Ages. She touches on the Christian war against the Devil and the witch-hunts of Germany, England and America. Finally, she relates that how the wicas of lore and yore became the respectable costumed revelers of modern-day Halloween.

Barth clearly had no intention of writing an exhaustive history. On the contrary, she intended to explain briefly, providing a nice lead-in to chapters on ghosts, toads, broomsticks and owls. To that end--fun--she also explains the Halloween colors of orange and black and current-day masquerades. She offers several not-too-scary Halloween stories and a set of wonderful Halloween recipes.

This book is great for kids who love Halloween--and want to know how it started. Alyssa A. Lappen