Focus On The Good & Remain Thankful
It's been a long 11 months. Many of us have experienced new challenges this year we could not have predicted at the start of the year. While the pandemic took us all by surprise, we must always remember to try and focus on the good. There is always a silver lining in the challenges we face. Covid-19 is no different. Much good has emerged from this awful situation. Many of us have had a chance to slow down, reset, and reconnect. Families have had a chance to spend more intimate time together, building deeper bonds with one another. For that, we give thanks.
This November, ASA Books wants to remind you to focus on the good. Our reading and activity list include fun reads for the kids that have “thankful” themes and games that will bring about more family togetherness. Besides, it’s the one month of the year we celebrate, on a national level, why we should be thankful. We hope you enjoy it.
ASA Books November Reading List:
1. When The Sun Comes Up And The Moon Goes Down That’s The Start Of Our Day, by Solonge Robinson, Illustrated by Aquabah Gonney-Buckner
2. Grandma's Thanksgiving Dinner, by Maria Hoskins
3. The Giving Tree, by Shel Silverstein
4. An Awesome Book of Thanks, by Dallas Clayton
5. Feast For 10, by Cathryn Falwell
African American Author Feature ASA Books Salute's Maria Hoskins for sharing her gift (this book) to the world. Book Exert and (Amazon) Review Below:
Grandma’s Thanksgiving Dinner: Author of the 2014 Christmas Night on the Farm, Maria Hoskins has once again brought her magical childhood memories of holidays on the farm to young readers in her new book, Grandma’s Thanksgiving Dinner. Here, Hoskins shares memories of crisp autumn days on an Arkansas farm populated by a loving family and farm animals.
ASA Books: Author Opinion: Grandmas Thanksgiving Dinner is a reminder of the magic that takes place around a warm, hardy meal with the people we love. This can happen not only on Thanksgiving Day, but all year long!
Thoughts From Elijah Robinson, ASA Books Reviewer (Grade 1):
Question: What do you like most about Thanksgiving? I really like Thanksgiving. I like it when my family eats dinner together. Everyone joins together and we have a fun time. Last Thanksgiving, we ate a lot of food, we had some ham and a lot of treats. I am grateful for my family in different states.
ASA Books November Activity List
While this Thanksgiving may not be as big of an event as years past, we can still make sure we pack in the fun. Below are a few handpicked activities for you to try. Build Your Family Tree: Take a weekend or two (or more) to start building your family tree. If you’re working with the kids, grab a large piece of oak-tag paper, and draw a large tree. On separate pieces of multicolored construction paper, trace and cut out small leaves; each leaf should represent a family member. Your tree can be as small (nuclear family) or as big (extended family) as you’d like. Don’t forget to add in the family pets!
Pokeno Anyone? Growing up, every thanksgiving you’d find our family sitting at the oval-shaped kitchen table playing a mean game of Pokeno well into the night. Slightly worn
Pokeno boards, dozens of red/transparent chips, a jar of pennies, sweet potato pie, and eggnog would be in our company. If you’ve never played, this is a fun game to try out this holiday. If you are familiar, dust off your boards and red chips and look forward to hours of fun.
The Appreciation Alphabet: On Thanksgiving Day, before or after everyone’s has eaten, go around the table and share what you are appreciative of this year. Your word should start with the letter of the alphabet you land on. This game will be fun, reflective, and memorable.
Discover A New Recipe: Have you binged watched cooking shows on Netflix or Hulu this year? Or have you put off an attempt at an old family recipe? If the answer is yes to either, there is no better time than the present. Make this November the month you try out a new recipe.
Purple Pie Please: Add a bit of color this year to your sweet potato pie recipe. Instead of using the traditional orange sweet potato or yam, visit your local farmers market or grocery store and switch it up with a purple potato/yam. You won’t have to change a thing from the other ingredients, just the color of the potato. It will surely bring a different color splash to your dessert table. Make your purple potatoes pop this year!
Meet Puzzles of Color, a black-owned family business run by brother-sister duo William and Ericka. Puzzles of Color create frameable pieces of art created by artists of color. Click the link below to learn more about this amazing company, the artist behind the art and their official launch this coming December. Pre-orders are available now! ASA Books is a proud supporter and future collaborator. Stay tuned.
Be On The Look Out For New, Upcoming Books
By ASA Books This Fall and Winter
1. Shaping Families, By Solonge Robinson... The count down starts now!
2. When The Sun Goes Down And The Moon Comes Up, That’s The Start Of Our Night, By Solonge Robinson, Illustrated by Aquabah Gonney-Buckner.
Until Next Time,
Happy Reading and Learning
The ASA Books Team
www.asa-books.com