Review: Sharing the Bread: An Old-Fashioned Thanksgiving Story by Pat Zietlow Miller

Sharing the Bread: An Old-Fashioned Thanksgiving Story by Pat Zietlow Miller Illustrated by Jill McElmurry

Hardcover, 32 pages

Published September 22nd 2015 by Schwartz & Wade
Source: I received a copy in exchange for an honest review
My Rating: 5 out of 5 Stars


Description:

Celebrate food and family with this heartwarming Thanksgiving picture book. We will share the risen bread. / Our made-with-love Thanksgiving spread. / Grateful to be warm and fed. / We will share the bread. In this spirited ode to the holiday, set at the turn of the twentieth century, a large family works together to make their special meal. Mama prepares the turkey, Daddy tends the fire, Sister kneads, and Brother bastes. Everyone—from Grandma and Grandpa to the littlest baby—has a special job to do. Told in spare, rhythmic verse and lively illustrations, Sharing the Bread is a perfect read-aloud to celebrate the Thanksgiving tradition.

My Review:

It is clearly stated in the title of this book that it's an old-fashioned story. I don't know what it is about the holidays, but they make me feel very nostalgic for times gone by and I loved the way this story was told.

In rhyme, each page is about a specific job that each member of the family holds to get this feast to the table. It's clear that each job is important and each person must work hard to do their part in order to enjoy a scrumptious feast. It's been said that "many hands make light work" and that's definitely how it was back in these times.

My nine-year-old daughter and I read this aloud and loved the illustrations that went along with each page. There are mini stories to behold in those pictures and they're a lot of fun. As for the story, the rhyme is catchy and flows in a good rhythm. We both enjoyed the book and are looking forward to the holiday.  

This story can be applicable to modern times as well, acknowledging that each person in a family is important and has their role. This time of year is all about being grateful and especially for family.

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About the Author:

Pat Zietlow Miller knew she wanted to be a writer ever since her seventh-grade English teacher read her paper about square-dancing skirts out loud in class and said: “This is the first time anything a student has written has given me chills.” (Thanks, Mrs. Mueller! You rock!)

Pat started out as a newspaper reporter and wrote about everything from dartball and deer-hunting to diets and decoupage. Then, she joined an insurance company and edited its newsletter and magazine.

Now, she writes insurance information by day and children’s books by night. Her first picture book, SOPHIE’S SQUASH, is illustrated by Anne Wilsdorf and published by Schwartz & Wade. Her second picture book, WHEREVER YOU GO, is illustrated by Eliza Wheeler and will be released April 21, 2015 by Little, Brown. SHARING THE BREAD, illustrated by Jill McElmurry, will come out from Schwartz & Wade in August 2015. THE QUICKEST KID IN CLARKSVILLE, a fiction picture book inspired by Olympic sprinter Wilma Rudolph, is under contract with Chronicle.

Pat has one wonderful husband, two delightful daughters and two pampered cats. She doesn’t watch much TV, but she does love “Glee” and "Chopped." Pat lives in Madison, Wisconsin.

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About the Illustrator: 

She illustrated the bestselling picture book Little Blue Truck by Alice Schertle and The Tree Lady by H. Joseph Hopkins, among others. She is the author and illustrator of Mario Makes a Move, which Publishers Weekly, in a starred review, said “captures the exuberance of the creative spirit alongside the quirks of a character accepting his limitations.” Visit her at jillmcelmurry.com.