Thankful by Eileen Spinelli; Illustrated by Archie Preston

About the book:  “Thankful” – Like the gardener, thankful for every green sprout, and the fireman for putting the fire out.  There are everyday blessings , you don’t need to look far, to know at a glance how special you are.  Beloved children’s author Eileen Spinelli and illustrator Archie Preston inspire children of all ages with “Thankful” a whimsical picture book that celebrates the everyday blessings we find in our lives.
 
Review:  I really like this book.  It is described as whimsical and that is exactly right. The whole book is written like a rhyme, which I find very enjoyable when reading to children.  As I was reading it, my granddaughter immediately came to mind and how she “pretends play.”  Just as a child’s imagination jumps from here to there, this book encourages that same imagination – From a waitress being thankful “for comfortable shoes” to a “local reporter for interesting news;”  then to “the chef is thankful for plates licked clean; the tailor, for her sewing machine.”   Even though this book can and does encourage imagination, it does an even better job of helping us teach our children to be thankful!  Being thankful is absolutely something that has to be taught and must begin at the earliest age possible. 

The illustrations of this book are beautiful.  I like the simplicity and the water color effect on all the pages.  The illustrator has chosen to center the author’s wonderful words around a family – father, mother, brother, and sister.   This is great because, again, teaching someone to be thankful begins at home!

“Thankful” is a wonderful book to have in your children’s library and one that you easily can read daily to your children!  I will be adding this to my collection!! (rev. P.Howard)


DISCLOSURE: A complimentary copy was provided by the BookLook Blogger Review Program on behalf of Zondervan to facilitate this review. Opinions as those of the reviewer. No compensation was received for this review.