We the Wampanoag, / observe our wise way. / As the Woodland Culture, / we honor each day. Each letter of the alphabet is given a labored, often meaningless quatrain in bad verse, accompanied by art with stiff, posed human figures and a verbose, factually questionable prose explanation. The chronologically confused topics groan under the weight of their breadth. From HORN BOOK Spring 2004, (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

The picture book P Is for Pilgrim: A Thanksgiving Alphabet by Carol Crane, illus. by Helle Urban, offers informative ABCs in quatrain form: A is for the Atlantic Ocean, traveled by those "praying to be free"; B stands for the Bill of Rights, inspired in part by the Mayflower Contract; C for the "cache of Corn" taken by Pilgrims "from the Indian field." The short history lessons that supplement each quatrain, however, suggest use in a classroom setting more than as a child's personal reading. (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved

Gr 3-6-This alphabet book pairs each letter with a short poem and a sidebar that provides further information about the ideas presented in the verses. Unfortunately, along with the Thanksgiving theme, Crane tries to incorporate American democratic ideals into the text, resulting in poetry that is often contrived and sentimental. For the letter "I" she writes, "With Individual rights,/the Pilgrims' inspiration and intent/was to insure all people/what religious freedom meant." This is not only an awkward rhyme, but it is also incorrect. Pilgrims were generally intolerant of other religions. The entry for "L" projects Revolutionary War sentiments back onto the Pilgrims, "Land, land ho! At last, America!/Our dreams have come true./Life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness!/Oh Lord, we thank you!" In the sidebar on the "J" page, the author states that "many" guests leave Thanksgiving meals with "jars of jam or jelly cooked and canned during harvest season," yet the next sentence reads, "Canning and preserving is almost a lost art-." Some of the themes for the letters have little to do with Thanksgiving, e.g., "B" is for the "Bill of Rights." The best part of this book is the colorful artwork. The paintings are done in warm tones and portray an idealistic view of Colonial America.-Donna Cardon, Provo City Library, UT (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.