Monkey Shines: Happy Thanksgiving, Curious George by Cynthia Platt

PARADE HORNS BLOW!
DRUMS BEAT LOW.
THE PARADE IS HERE, OH, MY!

Charlie Brown has done it. Biscuit has done it. Even Arthur has been there and done that, too, and luckily we have the mischievous monkey Curious George in on the celebration as well. George might have been an immigrant from afar (the manuscript for the first book fled the Nazis in H.A. Rey's suitcase on the boat to America), but, hey, so did the Pilgrims, and so who could be better than he to join the festivities at this most American of holidays.

George wakes early on Thanksgiving Day to delicious smells from the kitchen where the Man in the Yellow Hat is already at work creating the traditional feast. George pitches in on the preparations, with the usual mixed results, heads outside to watch the local parade pass and gets in on the clowning and juggling. He makes handprint turkey decorations for the table, staggers with a precipitous stack of plates for the table, and remembers to be thankful for the blessings of the day.

Toddlers who are fans of the Curious George books, H.A. and Margret's originals and the subsequent spinoffs, will get a preview to the traditions of Thanksgiving and will be excited about taking part themselves when the big day rolls around. Cynthia Platt's and Julie Bartynski's Happy Thanksgiving, Curious George tabbed board book (Houghton Mifflin, 2010), with its easy rhymes and faithful illustrations, is a good way to begin the thankful season.