Common Sense Media Review
By Regan McMahon
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Holiday origin story centers Wampanoag viewpoint, voices.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 4+?
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What's the Story?
KEEPUNUMUK: WEEÂCHUMUN'S THANKSGIVING STORY recounts "what really happened" back in 1691 when the local Wampanoag people helped the newly arrived pilgrims survive and the two groups came together to celebrate the harvest. The story is framed by a Wapmanaog grandmother telling the fable-like story to her grandson and granddaughter, in which plant and animal spirit guides play a large role in leading the Wampanoag to reach out and help the struggling White "newcomers."
Is It Any Good?
This retelling of the first Thanksgiving from a Wampanoag point of view is beautifully written and illustrated. Words in Wôpanâa, the language of the Wampanoag, are sprinkled throughout, and a list of them and their translations appear in the front of the book. The mythical style of Keepunumuk: Weeâchumun's Thanksgiving Story is in keeping with Wampanoag storytelling and features plants and animals as characters. Even corn seeds get a speaking part in this passage, when Fox observes two pilgrims taking a basket of them from an abandoned wetu (a traditional Wampanoag home): "Don't take us away!" the seeds cried. "We are waiting for the First Peoples to come back in the spring to prepare our beds. We must grow first!" But the newcomers could not hear the seeds. Their ears did not know the voices of the land."
It may be a little confusing at first for kids to grasp who's talking. The Wôpanâa word Keepunumuk is used for corn, but corn's "sisters," Bean and Squash, have English names. And the ghostly ancestors that hover in some scenes (and on the book cover) are so clearly rendered, they may appear to be live characters, but help convey that the spirits of our ancestors are always with us. The art is striking, and the story is a welcome centering of the Wampanoag in this long mythologized American tale.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about how Keepunumuk: Weeâchumun's Thanksgiving Story describes the first Thanksgiving. How is it different from what you'd been told? How is it similar to what you'd heard?
What do you think of the idea of plants and animals as spirit guides? Were you surprised to find squash, beans, and even seeds as speaking characters protecting the humans?
Which is your favorite picture in the story? Why?
Book Details
- Authors :
- Illustrator : Garry Meeches Sr.
- Genre : Holiday
- Topics : History , Holidays , Animals ( Wild Animals )
- Character Strengths : Communication , Compassion , Gratitude , Perseverance , Teamwork
- Book type : Non-Fiction
- Publisher : Charlesbridge Publishing
- Publication date : August 2, 2022
- Number of pages : 32
- Available on : Hardback, Apple Books, Kindle
- Last updated : September 29, 2025
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