Thank You, Sarah by Laurie Halse Anderson

Thank You, Sarah by Laurie Halse Anderson, illustrated by Matt Faulkner

(Suggested reading level: Ages 4-8)

I hate to admit that I had no idea Sarah Hale was before reading this. She was a writer, a teacher, a publisher. She argued against slavery and fought for schools for girls. She was a “superhero,” which is what Thanksgiving needed. People were forgetting about the holiday, but Sarah Hale believed that the whole country should celebrate it, together, and made it happen.

Never underestimate dainty little ladies.

This book, for me, celebrates the power of a woman and the power of writing. Sarah Hale wrote letter after letter, article after article and never gave up. Finally, in 1863, President Lincoln delared Thanksgiving a national holiday.

I love reading books with Amber (9) that talk about real women who changed the world, in small and big ways. This story was a little young for her, but sometimes it’s nice to just sit down and read a couple of short books before bed and this was absolutely perfect for this time of year. Honestly, I would recommend this book to anyone with young girls in their household. Sarah’s a wonderful, real-life, example. Faulkner’s illustrations are fun, too, taking an exaggerated,  cartoonish look at the events.

Our copy was borrowed from the library and the above is my honest opinion. I am an Amazon Associate.