The Great Thanskgiving Escape -- Book Review

Disclosure: Candlewick Press gave me a copy of this book free of charge to review. All opinions in my review are my own and I did not receive any other compensation. As in all my reviews I am providing links for your ease, but receive no compensation.

Imagine a large family gathering. where you are a not a little kid and not a teenager, but in the middle. You are stuck in the room with the babies. Your only cousin close in age to you tells you it is time to make a break and go out to play on the swingset. Of course the journey to the swingset has many obstacles--the wall of butts, the hall of aunts (the type that squeeze your cheeks), the teenager zombies, etc. Then you finally make it to the back door to see it pouring. What are the cousins to do? Well make their own fun of course! This is the story of The Great Thanksgiving Escape by Mark Fearing. 

 Mark Fearing makes the journey itself fun and humorous. How do young children perceive some of the family gatherings and traditions? There are so many jokes and stories of the cheek pinching aunts, but what about the men watching the football games and of course the teenagers who are just trying to not be there and watching television or playing games in a dark room. What obstacles would your child face? Is your family large enough for this to happen?

 

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We love this book. We think about the various obstacles that they encounter. Having been one of the middle cousins of thirteen I can completely relate to this story. I always got stuck babysitting the younger cousins while my sisters and the older cousins were off doing something else. Luckily I have never encountered a cheek pincher. Hazel asked lots of questions about the cheek pinching aunts, since she doesn't have any either. It is a fun look at family gatherings from a child's point of view. Perhaps you will have some memories of your own childhood.

 You can also download some activities to go with the book. Hazel enjoyed the maze and was not sure about the obstacle page since I was sleeping when she tried doing them. I think my favorite part of this book however is the fact that the biggest obstacle--the rain doesn't stop these two cousins from their goal. The rest of the family just watches them amazed at their willingness to get soaked. 

The Great Thanksgiving Escape will bring humor to your Thanksgiving and possibly bring some fun memories back. We highly recommend it!!

For more Thanksgiving books, crafts and activities check out:

• The Thanksgiving Activity Book
•  Thanksgiving and Sarah Josepha Hale 
• Cranberries 
• Thanksgiving Crafts & Games Round-Up 
• Thanksgiving Books 
• The Wampanoag Tribe 
• Squanto, Pilgrims and Thanksgiving
• My Thanksgiving Pinterest Board