Thankful: This Is the Feast by Diane Z. Shore

This is the Mayflower, sturdy and strong,
Her sails skim the skies as she journeys along.

These are the Pilgrims, down on their knees,
Seasick and frightened on rough rolling seas.

Land ho! America! World unknown.
Wilderness wild, a place to call home.

In cadence as familiar and sturdy as the ship that brought them to these shores, Diane Z; Shore's new This Is the Feast tells the familiar story, of settlers landing, Squanto helping, woodlands and cleared fields yielding their bounty, and the thankful feast which followed.

There is much information folded within the author's rhythmical lines which will anchor the facts of the first harvest festival in the minds of young readers.

These are the birch trees budding in spring,
Nestled with robins and the promise they bring.
These are the Indians, fearful, aware--
"Welcome," their greeting, approaching with care.

This is the seed corn, planted in mounds,
With herring to nourish the seeds in the ground.
This is Tisquantum, or Squanto, his name,
A keen-eyed Patuxet the plague didn't claim.

Shore gives the reader a chance to feel the joy of the settlers with their first harvest as she catalogs the bounty they bring in.

Crowded with cucumber, spinach, and beans
That sprouted near pumpkins and squash of all kinds,
That flowered the cape that was nurtured by hand.
Thanks be to God for this beautiful land.

Great as an introduction to young students or just as a chance to relive the holiday story again, This Is the Feast is a welcome addition to the body of Thanksgiving poetry for youngsters.