Thanksgiving is given a new point of view and retelling in this very special picture book. Jean Craighead George, the Newbery Medal-winning author of JULIE OF THE WOLVES, as well as nearly 100 distinguished nature books for young readers, presents the story of the first Thanksgiving with warmth, fascinating detail, and lyrical as well as informative storytelling. Thomas Locker's colorful, classical paintings beautifully complement the author's words. The story begins with the formation of Plymouth Rock, a huge, two-million year old glacial mass that comes to rest in Cape Cod. Then the Pawtuxet tribe arrives, earning their living from the land, including Squanto, who is later captured by Englishmen and sold into slavery. Across the ocean, Pilgrims seeking religious freedom set out on a perilous voyage to America. Upon reaching the New World, they must deal with many hardships including disease, starvation, and death. Still the Pilgrims endure. In the springtime, Squanto, freed from slavery and now a member of another Indian tribe, arrives, bringing peace to the people of Plymouth. He teaches them how to grow crops, catch fish, hunt deer and turkey, showing the Pilgrims the importance of respecting the land and using it wisely. In 1621, after a bountiful harvest, a great celebratory feast takes place for three days, in which the people gather and eat and play games--the first Thanksgiving. This story is a unique portrayal of historical events, always keeping the reader intrigued and awed, with its terrific writing and inspirational illustrations. As she does in every one of her books, Jean Craighead George reminds us of the need to honor our natural resources and every living thing on the planet. In this story, too, she sends a message of peace that will inspire every person and reach beyond one day in November, to give thanks every day for what we have.

Want to know where Plymouth Rock came from and what it has to do with the pilgrims? What happened when the Mayflower finally sighted land? This is the book for you. The First Thanksgiving is history, community, geology, and science in a very beautifully illustrated and believable story of the colonization of Massachusetts. The pilgrims came to the New World looking for religious freedom only to be met by fear, death, hunger, and an insightful and helpful Pawtuxet, Squanto. It was from his willingness to share his knowledge that we have the celebration of Thanksgiving.

This is a lovely story about how a falcon became part of a person's life. This beautiful, independent bird is the central character in this story; the large predator soars across the story, taking the readers along for the trip.

This is such a worthwhile book. It will especially appeal to people who love falcons.

if you like to read about hawks, ospreys, falcons, eagles, or any birds of prey, this is the book 4 u.

As a school teacher, I use this book to integrate writing lessons from a different perspective. Kids love this book because it helps them understand life from a sidewalk's perspective.

From Jean Craighead George, the Newbery Medalist and renowned nature writer, comes a collection of heroic and uplifting animal stories. This author of more than eighty books shares her love and awe of our planet's creatures in this unique book. Some of the stories are familiar--like that of Balto, the courageous sled dog, the most famous of all canine heroes, or Koko, the gorilla who uses sign language, teaching us more about animal intelligence and the gentleness of her species. Other stories bring some not-so-famous animals to life, such as the the Pacing White Mustang--"fastest horse in the West"--and the Hemlock Pair, two eagles who successfully raised several broods of young even when threatened by extinction. Each story is short, but beautifully written, and conveys the message that all of our animals are special, no matter what the species, or the deed. Other animals included in the book are Punxsutawney Phil, the rodent who rules on February 2; Smokey Bear, a real bear who told us in his own way that "only you can prevent forest fires"; Scannon, a great Newfoundland who was an important scout on the Lewis and Clark Expedition; three gray whales who managed to stay alive when trapped in Arctic sea ice; Sugar, a cat who made an incredible 1500-mile journey to find her family; and Blind Tom, a blind workhorse who helped to complete the first transcontinental railroad more than 100 years ago. Each story is graced with fine writing and beautiful paintings and drawings by Christine Herman Merrill. This is a collection special because of its loyalty to the dedicated animals who inspired it. This edition of the book is out-of-print, but recently it was made into a paperback children's chapter book called INCREDIBLE ANIMAL ADVENTURES, which does not carry as much beauty and dignity as this hardcover version. Also read Ms. George's other stories featuring remarkable animals--THERE'S AN OWL IN THE SHOWER, which is also illustrated by Merrill; THE TARANTULA IN MY PURSE AND 172 OTHER WILD PETS, Ms. George's autobiographical portrayal of the many animals she has known in the past; and her classic young adult novels JULIE OF THE WOLVES and MY SIDE OF THE MOUNTAIN, which each have two sequels.

This is a gorgeous book, from the author of the Julie books (JULIE OF THE WOLVES, JULIE, JULIE'S WOLF PACK, and NUTIK, THE WOLF PUP). Jean Craighead George, writer of more than eighty books for children, naturalist, and expert on Eskimo culture and the Inupiaq language, does an excellent job with this recent addition to her works. Not to mention the illustrations by Wendell Minor, who has illustrated more of Ms. George's books. They're wonderously beautiful watercolors, filled with expression that highlight Ms. George's words equally fine words. The story is that of Ms. George's grandson, Luke, who lives in Barrow, Alaska, near the top of the world. Though his parents, Craig and Cyd, are from the lower forty-eight, Luke knows a lot about the Eskimo culture around him, gathering knowledge over the years from an Inupiat friend of the Georges. Luke is referred to as Kupaaq, the native language name that the friend gave to him when he was born. The beautiful Inupiaq language is seen many times through the course of the book, as are details of the culture and the tundra life surrounding Barrow. This is an excellent choice for a cold winter's night by the fire, for children to learn about others like them, who may live thousands of miles away.

I was very satisisfied. I found it to be very helpful in teaching a club about wolves. I think it would be helpful for teachers as much as it helped me.

This book really seemed to affect me when I was young. I first read it in fourth grade and continued to read it at least once each year until I was in high school. The story centers around fishing, backpacking, and nature. Two young cousins go hiking looking for the origins of a very large Rainbow Trout.

Read this book in leiu of a vacation--it is just as relaxing and you don't have to travel!

My daughter finally caught the reading bug at 11 1/2 thanks to this author and the Julie Wolf Pack series. My daughter can't put these books down! I am so grateful she finally found something she's interested in. Great stuff!

Best-loved children's nature writer Jean Craighead George generously lends her most dedicated fans and admirers a look into her personal life in this dramatic autobiography. She covers her life from the shaky beginnings of co-writing with a dominant husband, to the proud winning of the Pulitzer Prize of children's books, the Newbery Medal. Struggling to achieve independence and recognition for her work, Ms. George does a good job of portraying her feelings toward her life as a parent, writer, and naturalist. Throughout her life Ms. George constantly compares herself with the animals she studies and writes about--from the song sparrow couples who befriend her and her husband, to the matriarchal nanny leaders of rocky mountain goats and the magnificent black alpha male wolf of a Mt. McKinley pack. In doing this she forms an increasingly powerful bond with the natural world and her words build more meaning throughout her long career. Ms. George covers the turbulent and problematic events leading up to, and following, her separation from an unsympathetic husband, the joys and troubles of raising three children, and the constant struggle to deal with her femininity in a time when men were often more highly regarded than women. When times are hard--when teenage drug dealers and little money threaten--Ms. George always finds strength in the natural world both inside and outside her home. Her pets, besides the usual dogs and cats, often included a menagerie of wild beasts--raccoons, bats, skunks, crows, owls, and frogs--providing humor and warmth both to Ms. George's life and to the book. Outdoors, Ms. George spent hours observing the characters in her books--the goats of GOING TO THE SUN, the gulls of GULL NUMBER 737. She dreamed of living off the land and surviving among nature like Sam Gribley in MY SIDE OF THE MOUNTAIN. There is a long, fascinating lead up to Ms. George's greatest work, JULIE OF THE WOLVES, in which she journeys to the tundra of Arctic Alaska to observe and communicate with wolves and befriend the efficient Eskimo people. JOURNEY INWARD was published in 1982, and since then Ms. George has written dozens more marvelous children's books and continues to write in her home in Chappaqua, New York. This is a fascinating glimpse into the life of our finest children's nature writer, an author of over eighty books, and a spectacular person.

I thought I'd take this space to review not only THE MOON OF THE OWLS but the whole Thirteen Moons series, rather than all thirteen books in different areas. Jean Craighead George is the author of the JULIE OF THE WOLVES books, the MY SIDE OF THE MOUNTAIN trilogy, and more than eighty other spectacular nature books for young readers. With the Thirteen Moons series, she introduced the worlds of different, often little-known-about animals to children. Now, even though the books are over thirty years old and out-of-print I, a huge Jean Craighead George admirer and nature lover, am enjoying reading them one by one, checking them out of my local library. Here is a list of the Thirteen Moons series: The Moon of the. . . Alligators Bears Chickarees Deer Fox Pups Moles Monarch Butterflies Mountain Lions Owls Salamanders Wild Pigs Winter Bird Gray Wolves The stories concern the habits and activities of all of these different animals, under the light of the wintery full moon. These would be excellent resources for a nature or science class, for children can learn about animal behavior, and the cycle of the moon around the Earth, and enjoy doing so. Each book is interesting and well-written, as are just about every one of Ms. George's books. (Moles? you may say. Who wants to read about moles? Really, you'll want to go out in your backyard looking for these small, but nonetheless exciting creatures once you read the book!) I wish these would be re-released, as were VULPES THE RED FOX, DIPPER OF COPPER CREEK, and a few other of Ms. George's books. But no matter how you read them, you can't help falling in love with them. Any nature lover will find herself looking closer at the lunar surface, more alertly at the soil, more admiringly at the birds. The illustrations for each book are just fine, too, but the true poetry lies in the words of Jean Craighead George, a naturalist and one of our finest children's writers.