  | Full Text Reviews: Bulletin for the Center... - 02/01/2003 Teacher, hatmaker, poet (well, she did—probably—write “Mary Had a Little Lamb”), journalist, and general gadfly, Sarah Buell Hale revived the languishing celebration of Thanksgiving and pressed for its national observation. A persistent letter-writing campaign to a succession of presidents garnered Hale nothing but a reputation for annoyance, but her idea finally found its time and champion in the dark days of the Civil War when Abraham Lincoln evidently agreed that “a holiday couldn’t stop the war, but it could help bring the country together.” Anderson packs a lot of spunk into her folksy account, and Faulkner’s mixed-media scenes fondly caricature the bigwigs of the day and even the earnestness of Hale’s cause (an irate band of women storm the state house—motto: “Go away. We’re busy”—with an oversized quill pen for a battering ram). A plentiful “Feast of Facts” rounds out the presentation with further information on Hale, the Civil War, and tidbits about vintage Thanksgivings past. A list of sources is also included. - Copyright 2003 The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois. Booklist - 12/15/2002 Sarah Hale was a magazine editor, mother, teacher, and feminist (though not a suffragette). She also saved Thanksgiving by imploring President Lincoln to declare it a national holiday. Appalled that Thanksgiving, a holiday that could bring people together, was being ignored by many Americans, she had appealed to several previous presidents--Taylor, Fillmore, Pierce, Buchanan--but only Lincoln responded. In 1863, Sarah saw Lincoln declare Thanksgiving a national holiday. Anderson gives an inherently interesting story an extra boost with a terse, amusing text (never underestimate dainty little ladies), but it is Faulkner's art, reminiscent of David Small's work in So You Want to Be President (2000), that stands out. The pictures are droll and funny, often going beyond the bounds of the text to make an ironic point. The back matter is particularly solid for a picture book; there's additional information about Hale and about Thanksgiving as well as a brief overview of the Civil War and of slavery. There will be many uses for this. - Copyright 2002 Booklist. Loading...
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