Thank You, Sarah by Laurie Halse Anderson is the perfect picture book to read this time of year. As an elementary teacher of both third and fifth grades, I have read this book to my class every year and they absolutely love it. The book presents some of the history of Thanksgiving in a humorous way, and the pictures by Matt Faulkner are amazing.
Who is Sarah Hale?
The story, Thank You, Sarah, is about how Sarah Hale saved Thanksgiving. Who is Sarah Hale? Sarah Hale was an amazing woman that was born in 1788. Sarah Hale was a teacher, writer, and editor. She wrote "Mary Had a Little Lamb," when one day, a lamb followed one of her students to school.
After Sarah's husband died from pneumonia, Sarah raised her five children on her own while working as a hat maker and writing her first novel. Sarah worked as a magazine editor for The Ladies' Magazine and Godey's Lady's Book until her retirement in 1877 at the age of 89. Sarah published famous authors like Edgar Allan Poe, Nathaniel Hawthorne, and Charles Dickens.
How did Sarah Hale Save Thanksgiving?
Laurie Halse Anderson's book, Thank You, Sarah, tells us how Thanksgiving became a national holiday. In the early 1800s Thanksgiving was celebrated in the New England States, but the rest of the country ignored it. Sarah Hale wanted Thanksgiving to be a holiday that the Unites States celebrated together. Sarah fought for Thanksgiving the best way she knew how...she wrote about it.
Sarah Hale wrote magazine articles urging families to celebrate Thanksgiving, and she wrote letters to politicians asking them to join her cause. She even wrote to presidents Zachary Taylor, Millard Fillmore, Franklin Pierce, and James Buchanan asking them to make Thanksgiving a national holiday. None of the presidents she wrote to agreed with her until she wrote to Abraham Lincoln.
After writing countless letters and articles for thirty-eight years Sarah Hale had succeeded in making Thanksgiving a national holiday. in 1863 President Lincoln made Thanksgiving a day that the entire nation would celebrate together.
Thank You, Sarah is a Must Read Book
As Thanksgiving approaches take the time to read Thank You, Sarah. This book will make you laugh while teaching you a little known history lesson. The pictures in the book are beautifully done and are extremely detailed. Make sure you read the pages at the end of the book for some more fascinating facts and information regarding the history of Thanksgiving and Sarah Hale.
Lesson Ideas Using Thank You, Sarah
If you are a teacher there are some great lessons you can do to accompany the book. With my third graders I had them write a letter, much like Sarah Hale did, trying to convince the president to make Thanksgiving a national holiday. When I taught fifth grade I had them write a response to the quote, "The pen is mightier than the sword," by Edward Bulwer-Lytton. The students related the quote to the story of Sarah Hale and had to come up with a way they could use their power of writing to make a difference.
Daniel Allan - Daniel is a graduate of Fresno State University and has been an elementary school teacher for five years. He loves spending his summers ...
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