School Library Journal Review
Gr 2-4-Spurr and Halperin team up again to present this companion to The Peterkins' Christmas (S & S, 2004), both adapted from Lucretia Hale's 19th-century classic, The Peterkin Papers. Here, the silly characters almost miss their Thanksgiving feast. Dressed in their Sunday best, they sit down at the table-upstairs of course-and Mrs. Peterkin rings her china bell, signaling Amanda the cook to send dinner up. Sadly, "the meal was substantially delayed, due to an odd circumstance." The food, it seems, is stuck in the dumbwaiter. Agamemnon, who is "relied upon for answers" because he "had been to college," has a solution. The family must eat downstairs-in the kitchen. Happily, they're not too proud to do so, but, unfortunately, the dumbwaiter still won't budge. After some amusing discussion, they decide they must call a carpenter but, of course, he can't come until later because he is at his relatives' house. All's well in the end, however, and this odd family does get to enjoy a satisfying Thanksgiving repast. This is a fine, entertaining tale, framed with phrases from correspondence written to their friend, the "Dear Lady from Philadelphia." The lighthearted watercolor illustrations have a Victorian flavor that fits nicely with the period-piece mood of the book. Gently amusing, this is a pleasing addition to any holiday collection.-Roxanne Burg, Orange County Public Library, CA (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Publisher's Weekly Review
Two classics get fresh treatments this fall. The Peterkins' Thanksgiving adapted by Elizabeth Spurr from The Peterkin Papers by Lucretia P. Hale (1880), illus. by Wendy Anderson Halperin, features the delightfully oddball family's predicament when their feast gets stuck in the dumbwaiter. Halperin nicely balances familial affection with humor. (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
