This review posted at The Children's Book and Media Review

Thanksgiving is always a big day for the Tappletons, but this year everything seems to be going terribly wrong. First the Thanksgiving turkey slides out the door, into the street, and finally into the pond. When Mr. Tappleton goes to buy the pies there are completely sold out. Their son Kenny had fed all of the vegetables for the salad to the rabbits in Mr. Butterworth’s class the day before. Jenny doesn’t put the blender lid on all the way, and mashed potatoes go flying everywhere. No one has the heart to tell the others what happened, so when it comes time for dinner they all have to confess what happened to their Thanksgiving dinner. Still, they realize that Thanksgiving is about more than the traditional food they eat and they have a great Thanksgiving dinner together anyway.

Thanksgiving at the Tappletons’ is an amusing book about everything going wrong. While some parents might want to point out that the family should have been honest with each other sooner instead of hiding it when things did not work out for them, the end message that family is the most important part of Thanksgiving helps end the book on a good note. This is a book that many parents will enjoy reading to their children. ( )

The path to Thanksgiving dinner doesn't run smooth for the Tappleton family in this amusing holiday picture-book, as one disaster after another destroys all of the traditional dishes, from turkey to pies. Although each family member attempts to hide their own role, in failing to produce the expected delicacies, when everyone sits down to dinner, the truth is revealed. Then Grandmother Tappleton steps in with her blessing, reminding the family what Thanksgiving is supposed to really be about...

Although I do understand some of the online criticism I have read of Thanksgiving at the Tappletons' - it mostly centers around the lying the family does, after each mishap - I have to say that I had a different interpretation. It is an unfortunate reality that many people panic, after having made a mistake, or done something wrong, and attempt to cover it up. If anything, the story here demonstrates that such efforts are futile in the long run, as whatever one is attempting to hide will inevitably come to light. The humorous treatment of this theme, and the heartwarming resolution, which emphasizes the importance of family rather than feast, makes this an engaging holiday story for me. The artwork by Maryann Cocca-Leffler looks a little old-fashioned (especially the haircuts!), but does capture the humor of the story. I understand that the text of this version, published in 2015, is somewhat edited, and that the artwork, done in 1992, is different from the original 1982, making me curious to see the first edition. I'm not sure I'm curious enough to track it down, but it did make me wonder what changes had been made. Recommended to anyone looking for Thanksgiving picture-books that emphasize family togetherness in a humorous way. ( )

Thanksgiving at the Tappleton's is a funny little story about a family that is having Thanksgiving dinner together. There are eight members in the family and four of them are assigned to make a certain dish but none of them follow through. When the other members of the family come waiting for a delicious dinner, there is nothing prepared. The family ends up eating liverwurst, sandwiches, and apple sauce for Thanksgiving. Very funny story, I enjoyed it. ( )

Thanksgiving at the Tappletons’ teaches kids a valuable lesson about thanksgiving. Everyone has a job on thanksgiving day to help prepare the meal for the big family dinner at night, but why all of a sudden is everything going wrong? The Turkey slipped away, no more pies, Kenny didn’t make the salad, and Jenny messes up the mashed potatoes. Nobody confesses until the truth is shown at the end when grandma and grandpa show up to eat, only to realize there is nothing to eat. This is truly an amusing story that teaches kids to be grateful for what they have, instead of what they do not. Even though the Tappletons’ family did not have a thanksgiving meal (as hungry as Grandpa was), they were still grateful to be together as a family. ( )

A funny tale of all of the things that go wrong while the Tappletons are preparing their Thanksgiving feast. They learn an important lesson about what makes Thanksgiving so special, and it is not the feast that everyone looks forward to. ( )