Squanto’s Journey: The Story of the First Thanksgiving

Weekly Trip to the Library

Squanto’s Journey: The Story of the First Thanksgiving is the true story of Thanksgiving. It includes both the story of slavery and plague, as well the generosity of the Thanksgiving Americans have been celebrating for almost 400 years.

This is a biography about Squanto written by Joseph Bruchac, an author of Native descent. In 1620 when an English ship called the Mayflower landed on the shores inhabited by the Pokanoket people, it was Squanto who welcomed the newcomers and taught them how to survive in the rugged land they called Plymouth.

This is a fascinating, often tragic and heartbreaking story of Squanto’s abduction and subsequent enslavement in Spain and his long journey back from Europe to North America. When he arrived back to North America he found his people, the Patuxet, had been decimated by sickness. Yet he played an essential and historic role in helping the Plymouth Colony settlers survive in their New World.

Squanto was the peacemaker that showed the Pilgrims how to plant corn, beans, and squash, and how to hunt and fish. When a good harvest was gathered in the fall, the two peoples feasted together in the spirit of peace and brotherhood. Today, the tradition continues.

This biography geared best to grade-schoolers, because it may inspire some difficult conversations with kids about the true relationship between Pilgrims and the Native tribes.

You can purchase Squanto’s Journey: The Story of the First Thanksgiving by clicking any of the links found in the review or below:

Squanto’s Journey: The Story of the First Thanksgiving