Friendsgiving: A Cozy Picture Book About Autumn and Friendship for Kids

by Nancy Siscoe, Sabina Gibson (Illustrator)

Let this be the year to start a new Friendsgiving! A cozy autumn picture book, featuring a sweet and universal take on Thanksgiving—the perfect treat for fall.   The leaves are falling, the air is crisp, and Berry, Ginger, and Willow are enjoying the delights of fall. When these old friends join with new friends to bask in the bounty of the season, there is a lot to be thankful for—and a new tradition is born . . . Friendsgiving! From the author and illustrator team of Snow Much Fun! comes another seasonal celebration for young readers. 

Genres: Picture Books, Thanksgiving, Holiday, Childrens

40 pages, Hardcover

Published September 8, 2020

Reviews

[Kathryn · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 STARS The story felt a bit choppy to me, but bonus points for the beautiful illustrations which are photographs of needle and thread bears, so cute! The sentiments are nice, though nothing really "new" here.

[Cassidy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Follow three friends, Berry, Ginger, and Willow, as they make new friends and celebrate everything they are thankful for this year.

I read this as an ARC that was delivered to my local bookstore. I found this to be a nice, charming read. The needle and thread creations mixed with photography, were a great way to illustrate this picture book. It’s a wonderful message to send to kids that the meaning of Thanksgiving is spend it with those who are close to you, and that means your friends too!

[Viviane Elbee · Rating 4 out of 5]

The illustrations in this book, which are photos of cute handmade stuffies and homemade backdrops, are terrific. I will be checking out Sabina’s other books for sure!

This is the story of a group of friends who get together for a variety of activities in the fall, from biking to shopping, to leaf raking & leaf pile jumping, to apple picking & cooking… and which ends with a Friendsgiving feast.

I liked the idea of the Thankful tree, which is decorated with leaves that say what each character is thankful for.

[Lauren Price · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was a bit off put by the stuffed animals at first but this book has turned out to be full of wonderful lessons for my 4 year old. Each page has lots of details to point out and discuss with your child, and really focuses on the values Id like Thanksgiving to highlight: appreciating nature, spending quality time with friends and family, and of course, being thankful for what you have. Id give this a strong recommendation for parents of preschoolers and primary school children.

[Ellon · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not my favorite. I wasn't a fan of the illustration style with the sewn animals. They creeped me out a bit. Overall I felt like the book was showing the boring life events of a group of adult friends. Yes, they ride bikes up a hill and jump in leaves but they also go to the farmers' market, plant bulbs, light candles with dinner and just talk like a group of 30-somethings. It was weird to me. The thankful tree was nice but nothing really revolutionary.

[Anjanette · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is a picture book. There are felt characters that tell the story. Barry, GInger and Willow are friends who love Fall. They decide to work together to get ready for fall. They invite their friends and have a fall party. I felt the book was disconnected and hard to follow. The illustrations were creepy and not super fun to read. Not recommended unless you really need another fall book.

[Tompkins County Public Library Youth Services]

Alice's Thoughts: A sweet autumnal tale of making new friends while treasuring old. The handmade critters and tiny dollhouse-sized items on each page are especially adorable. My four-year-old was mesmerized and excited to try Siscoe’s other book Snow Much Fun. They have both become favorites this month!

[Shireen Hakim · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a cute book perfect for celebrating fall and friends.

There is a lot going on in this picture book, I think it could start on page 7 by skipping the beginning bike ride scene. Also the rhyming is unnecessary, it infantilizes an adventure story.

Thank you so much HarperCollins (and MacMillan Kids) for this delightful picture book!

[Michelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a crafty, sweet and fun book. The yarn characters have wonderful dimensions to them. Friendsgiving could and should fall anytime during the year and definitely more than once. A good story about being with friends and appreciating what you have and who you share it with.

[Kayla · Rating 5 out of 5]

My 8-year-old just declared this “the best book ever.” Indeed, the adorability factor is high, as is the degree of coziness. Very sweet and wholesome, perfect for an autumn read aloud. This is one we’ll be buying for our home library.

[Anna · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was really freaking cute. I loved the art so so much! The story is sweet, but it's not a great book to read to a group of children unless you skip on some of the dialogue in my opinion. Overall though I loved this book.

[Melanie Hetrick · Rating 2 out of 5]

A story of several friends who spend Thanksgiving Day together. They ride bikes, pick apples, cook lots of food and have a meal together.

Cute story but clumsy rhyming make this a non-starter for storytime.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

The handmade items mixed with photograpghy make fascinating illustrations.

[Brian · Rating 5 out of 5]

A beautiful book about friendship and being together. There couldn't be a better time to own a book like this. My boys love it!

[Kelly]

Really cute, and I love felt figures. I'm not a fan of the sometimes rhymes though.

[Kayla · Rating 5 out of 5]

it happy and cute and i love it!

[Sarah Threlkeld · Rating 3 out of 5]

Adorably illustrated fall story. The rhyme scheme was odd and felt forced, though.

[Janet Balicki Weber · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sometimes families are composed of friends. A lovely fall story with amazing felt creatures photographed for the artwork.

[Edward Sullivan · Rating 3 out of 5]

An appealingly illustrated picture book featuring woodland animal friends celebrating Autumn.

[Lily Blue · Rating 3 out of 5]

CLEAR UR SHT book 33 Prompt 22

This book kind of creeped me out with the picture gave me Coraline other mom vibes. really good story.

[Aneesa · Rating 3 out of 5]

I suddenly understood when I read that the illustrator designs children's products for Crate & Barrel.

[Mrs Heet -Librarian · Rating 3 out of 5]

The story itself was cute but a bit disjointed at times. The illustrations with the knit animal characters were the best part of the story.

[E & E’s Mama · Rating 4 out of 5]

Woodland animals have a Thanksgiving meal together. The story was ok, but the adorable and creative art made up for it. Photography plus hand-stitched characters were combined.

[Anthony · Rating 4 out of 5]

A delightful Fall tale of three friends spending their time together, making new friends, sharing, fellowshiping, and giving thanks.

[Leslie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a cute story about friends and their adventures in the Fall, culminating in a Friendsgiving meal. I'd love to share this at Storytime, but there are so many details, it might be better for one-on-one reading.