Giving Thanks: Poems, Prayers, and Praise Songs of Thanksgiving
edited by Katherine Paterson; illus. by Pamela Dalton
All Ages     Handprint/Chronicle     56 pp.
10/13     978-1-4521-1339-5     $18.99

Paterson divides this collection of brief prayers, poems, and meditations into thanks for food, life, spirit, and community. Her selection is catholic and spans the centuries, from the Bible to Julian of Norwich to Emily Dickinson to the Dalai Lama, along with much folk material (“Pueblo Blessing,” “Native American Proverb”), albeit unsourced. Cut-paper silhouettes, occasionally embellished with watercolor, decorate the pages; while the art is attractive and certainly well made, too much of it makes some spreads crowded and contributes to the gift-book look. Short autobiographical essays by Paterson introduce each section and give the volume a welcome personal touch.

From the November/December 2013 issue of The Horn Book Magazine.