By Erin Allen
Rowan Public Library
What do we know for sure about Thanksgiving? By now, most of us realize the beliefs we grew up with were half truths or myths. Even so, we cling to tales of Pilgrims and Indians gathered around a plank table laden with pumpkin pie and cranberry sauce, knowing our views are informed by 19th century paintings and literature.
We pass these cultural beliefs on to our children, who then celebrate this time of year by coloring hand turkeys and singing “Over the River and Through the Woods” with little regard for Thanksgiving’s true history.
Ironically, if you want to discover unadorned facts about a subject, the best place to go is often the children’s room of the public library. Rowan Public Library has several books that will enlighten those who are fuzzy on the details of our deeply cherished American holiday.
Where was the first Thanksgiving observed? Plymouth is the wrong answer. It occurred two years before Plymouth’s celebration, near the present-day Charles City, Va. A group of 38 English settlers arrived at this site on Dec. 4, 1619, and set aside the day as a yearly thanksgiving to God for their safe arrival. Being short on rations, no feasting was involved.
So what about the Plymouth celebration, the source of our imperfectly imagined history? A good account can be found in “1621: A New Look At Thanksgiving,” by Catherine O’Neill Grace and Margaret M. Bruchac. This brief juvenile nonfiction book is published by the National Geographic Society and includes the point of view of the Wampanoag people as well as the English.
Photographs from a 2000 re-enactment of the original harvest gathering at Plimouth Plantation lend authenticity and understanding to a text brimming with details. Some startling facts: English clothing was not always somber, but included shades of red, yellow, blue and purple. The holiday known as Thanksgiving was never referred to as such by the English, but was celebrated as the yearly harvest festival.
Fast forward 220 years and read about “A Pioneer Thanksgiving: A Story of Harvest Celebrations in 1841,” by Barbara Greenwood, illustrated by Heather Collins. This book is a bit like the Foxfire series in that it chronicles the stories, activities, and lifestyle of a mid-19th century family as they prepare to celebrate Thanksgiving.
There is a recipe for cranberry sauce simple enough for a child to make, and while the corn dolly craft is made with plastic lace instead of corn husks, readers will still enjoy an old-fashioned craft and the harvest superstition behind it.
Computer classes: Headquarters ó Thursday, 2:30 p.m., eAudiobooks with N.C. Digital Library.South ó Nov. 24, 7 p.m., Digital Photography: Part Two.
Classes are free. Sessions are about 90 minutes long. Class size is limited and on a first-come, first-served basis.
Children’s Program: September-November ó Weekly Story Time. Headquarters ó Tuesday, 10 a.m., Toddlers and Moms (18-24 months); 11 a.m., Toddlers and Moms (24-36 months); Wednesday, 11 a.m., Tiny Tots and Moms (infants-18 months); Thursday, 10:30 a.m., Three through Five; 4 p.m., Noodlehead Story Times (4-8 years). South óMonday, 10:30 a.m., Preschool Time (3-5 years); 4 p.m., Noodlehead (4-8 years); Wednesday, 10:30 a.m., Toddlers and Twos (18-35 months); Thursday, 10:30 a.m., Baby Time (babies and toddlers); East ó Tuesday, 10:30 a.m., Preschool (2-5 years); 4 p.m., Noodlehead, (4-8 years); Wednesday, 10:30 a.m., Preschool (2-5 years); Thursday, 11 a.m. Baby Time (6 months-2 years).
Tuesday Night at the Movies: Tuesday, “A Streetcar Named Desire”; Nov. 25, “On the Waterfront.” All movies are rated G, PG or PG 13; some movies are inappropriate for younger audiences. Children should be accompanied by an adult. Free popcorn and lemonade.
Displays: Headquarters ó holiday baskets by Friends of the Rowan Public Library; South ó holiday Beleek and Fenton Glass by Kathy Murphy; East ó Jr. Poppy Education by AL Unit 112.Literacy: Call the Rowan County Literacy Council at 704-216-8266 for more information on teaching or receiving literacy tutoring for English speakers or for those for whom English is a second language.
Web site: For a listing of all library programs at all library locations, www.rowanpubliclibrary.org.