Giving Thanks

A Native American Good Morning Message
By Chief Jake Swamp, Erwin Printup Jr.
Paperback: $11.95

A traditional Iroquois celebration of the beauty and spirit of Mother Earth, as told by a contemporary Mohawk chief.

Front cover for Gracias te damos by Chief Jake Swamp and Erwin Printup Jr.
This book is also available in Spanish
Gracias te damos
By Chief Jake Swamp, Erwin Printup Jr.

Description

For as long as anyone can remember, Mohawk parents have taught their children to start each day by giving thanks to Mother Earth. Also known as the Thanksgiving Address, this good morning message is based on the belief that the natural world is a precious and rare gift. The whole universe – from the highest stars to the tiniest blade of grass – is addressed as one great family.

Now readers of all ages can share in this tribute to the environment, adapted especially for children by Chief Jake Swamp, whose efforts to share this vision of thanksgiving take him all over the world. Chief Swamp’s inspirational message, along with Erwin Printup, Jr.’s unforgettable landscapes, make Giving Thanks a timeless celebration of the spirit of nature.

About the Creators

Chief Jake Swamp black and white headshot
Chief Jake Swamp

Chief Jake Swamp (Tekaronianeken) was a founder of the Tree of Peace Society, an international organization promoting peace and conservation. Chief Swamp delivered the Thanksgiving Address throughout the world, as well as at the United Nations. He was born on the Akwesasne Mohawk Reservation in upstate New York, and lived in Hogansburg, NY where he worked as a cultural adviser for the Mohawk Council of Akwesasne's Child and Family Services. Giving Thanks: A Native American Good Morning Message was his first picture book. He passed away in October 2010.

Erwin Printup Jr. black and white headshot
Erwin Printup Jr.

Erwin Printup is a Cayuga/Tuscarora painter who received a degree in fine arts from the Institute of American Indian Art, in Santa Fe, NM. Born in Niagara Falls, he now lives in Lewiston, NY. Giving Thanks: A Native American Good Morning Message is his first picture book.

Awards

  • Reading Rainbow Selection

    PBS Kids

  • Editors' Choice

    Booklist

  • CCBC Choices

    Cooperative Children's Book Center (CCBC)

  • Best Children's Books of the Year

    Bank Street College of Education

Reviews

  • "Swamp has made the [Thanksgiving] address accessible to all ages without hindering its easy reverence. . . A simple, tender celebration of good fortune."

    - Kirkus Reviews
  • "The flat planes and saturated colors of Printup's highly stylized acrylic paintings form a handsome backdrop to this ancient Iroquois message of thanksgiving, adapted for children by a chief of the Mohawk nation. A salute to Mother Earth and all her beauty, the "good morning message" is traditionally delivered at the beginning of each day and at special ceremonies. Its simple, timeless language bears witness to the Native American reverence for the natural world and sense of unity with all living things. . . Eye-catching."

    - Publishers Weekly
  • "A powerful way of acknowledging the connectedness of the whole universe, this salute to Mother Nature is reverent and simple, filled with phrases that acknowledge our privilege and bounty to be human in this great world. . . The richness of the earth is colorfully depicted."

    - The Children's Book Review

Hardcover

  • ISBN 9781880000151
  • Price $17.95
  • Publication Date Sep 01, 1995
  • Trim Size N/A
  • Weight 0.75 lbs
  • Page Count 24
  • Word Count 304
  • Paperback

  • ISBN 9781880000540
  • Price $11.95
  • Publication Date Sep 01, 1995
  • Trim Size 11 × 7.5 in
  • Weight 0.25 lbs
  • Page Count 24
  • Word Count 304
  • Interests

  • Imprint Lee & Low Books
  • Audience Children
  • BISAC Category 1 JUV / Native American
  • BISAC Category 2 JUV / Holidays & Celebrations / Thanksgiving
  • BISAC Category 3 JUV / Science & Nature / Environment
  • Themes Animals, Earth / Sun / Moon System, Environment / Nature, Families, Food, Friendship, Human Impact On Environment / Environmental Sustainability, Indigenous / First Nations / Native American, Informational / Expository Nonfiction, Nature / Science, Nonfiction, Sharing & Giving, Water
  • Reading Levels

  • Age Range Ages 5 - 11
  • Grade Range Grades K - 6
  • Guided Reading M
  • ATOS Book Level 3.3
  • DRA 28
  • Lexile Code AD
  • Lexile Level 520
  • Lexile Measurement AD520L
  • Reading Recovery Intervention 20
  • Reading Level Grades 3 - 4
  • SRC 4.1
  • Bebop Reading Early Fluent
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