How do you know if your child understands the true meaning of Thanksgiving?
Before digging into their Turkey Day spread, many families go around the dinner table and share moments of gratitude. Kids are then put on the spot and forced to share one thing they are thankful for while a gaggle of extended guests stare them down.
The end result: Typically, a long stretch of silence followed by a string of “ums,” “ers,” “ahs,” and more silence. If you are lucky, you’ll hear a barely audible, “toys” or a regurgitation of whatever the person ahead of your shy child shared.
Not exactly sincerity at its best, but it’ll suffice, especially if you are worried about eating before the turkey gets cold.
Getting kids to grasp the reason behind Thanksgiving can be challenging, though not impossible, if you employ the help of a fat cat and his loyal mouse friend.
Yes, Splat is back.
Just in time for the hectic holiday season, the funny feline is driving the appreciation bus and wants to take your kid along for the ride.
In Splat Says Thank You!, the brilliant Rob Scotton delights with a perfectly penned Thanksgiving-themed tale filled with amazingly detailed illustrations that drive home an important lesson for kids of all ages: A little gratitude can go a long way.
When Splat’s mouse pal Seymour gets sick and needs some cheering up, Splat pulls out a book he’s been working on dedicated to the unlikely duo’s friendship.
Hoping to elicit a smile from his bedridden BFF, Splat starts reading from his homemade creation. The comical cat has filled page after page with touching tributes to his trusty companion recounting the times when Seymour has unselfishly come to Splat’s rescue. After each stop along the gratitude journey, Splat includes two of the most underused words in a child’s vocabulary: “Thank you!”
“When I borrowed my brother’s kite and we played for hours, you made it so much fun.”
“Thank you!” said Splat.
“Then when I climbed a tree to rescue my brother’s kite and got stuck…”
“You rescued me,” said Splat.
“Thank you!”
“When I broke my mom’s favorite ornament, you fixed it for me,” said Splat.
“Except somehow, Mom noticed and I had to have a bath and go to bed early.”
“Thank you, anyway.”
Splat Says Thank You! is filled with a litany of laugh-out-loud reasons Splat is thankful for his friendship with Seymour. Hopefully, it will inspire young readers to not only see the good in others, but also to express their feelings of gratitude. Even if your child is too young to fully grasp the book’s text, Scotton’s animated illustrations speak volumes with a single glance. By the end of the story, you should have no problem getting your child to share what he is most thankful for.
Bring Splat Says Thank You! home for the holidays by visiting HarperCollins’ website or by picking up a copy from your local book store.
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