The Great Thanksgiving Escape

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The Great Thanksgiving Escape

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Overview

A hilarious, kid-friendly take on Thanksgiving — full of family, food, and lots of fun!

It’s another Thanksgiving at Grandma’s. Gavin expects a long day of boredom and being pestered by distantly related toddlers, but his cousin Rhonda has a different idea: make a break for it — out of the kids’ room to the swing set in the backyard! Gavin isn’t so sure, especially when they encounter vicious guard dogs (in homemade sweaters), a hallway full of overly affectionate aunts, and worse yet, the great wall of butts! Will they manage to avoid the obstacles and find some fun before turkey time? Or will they be captured before they’ve had a taste of freedom?

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About the Author

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780763663063
Publisher:	Candlewick Press
Publication date:	09/09/2014
Pages:	32
Product dimensions:	10.90(w) x 9.30(h) x 0.50(d)
Lexile:	AD380L (what's this?)
Age Range:	5 - 8 Years

About the Author

Mark Fearing is the author-illustrator of the graphic novel Earthling! and has illustrated several award-winning picture books. The inspiration for The Great Thanksgiving Escape, the first picture book he has both written and illustrated, were memories of the unexpected, unplanned events at family gatherings—“the fun that was discovered, not mandated.” Mark Fearing lives in Oregon.

From the B&N Reads Blog

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Editorial Reviews

Fearing finds laughs in the uncomfortable truth that for a lot of people—children included—family holiday gatherings are the opposite of fun.

The New York Times - Maria Russo

08/25/2014
Gavin is the picture of irritation after his parents dump him with a bunch of drooling, toy-munching toddlers while waiting for “turkey time” at Grandma’s house. Luckily, he finds a partner in crime in cousin Rhonda, and they make their way past several holiday hazards in order to reach the outdoor swing set. Fearing revels in his portraits of cinematically exaggerated horrors like the “Hall of Aunts!” (“We’ll be pinched and smothered for sure!” cries Rhonda) and a basement full of teenage “zombies” staring at their digital devices. Rhonda’s advice to Gavin—“Sometimes you have to make your own fun”—will serve readers well on Thanksgiving Day or any time of year. Ages 5–8. Agent: Sean McCarthy, Sean McCarthy Literary Agency. (Sept.)

Publishers Weekly

Is there a person alive who has not squirmed and yawned through a family dinner? Gavin, a budding hipster, is on his way to Thanksgiving at Grandma’s. While he is wearing stylish glasses, he is also wearing a scarf, hat, and sweater vest as directed by his mother. He appears to be at Grandma’s clearly against his will and we quickly understand why: Most of the cousins are crawling, drooling, monster-like toddlers with gapping, partially toothed mouths and dirty hands and feet. There is only one cousin who is Gavin’s approximate age, and that is freedom fighter Rhonda. With the clear-eyed planning of a prisoner of war bent on escape, Rhonda vows that the two children will blow the joint and go to the swing set in Grandma’s back yard. You can almost hear the theme music from The Great Escape swelling in the background as Rhonda and Gavin run the gauntlet, past the overweight, snoozing dachshund “guard dogs;” through the hall of hugging and pinching aunts waiting for their next victim; through the Great Wall of Butts circling the football game on television. The Great Wall of Butts will, all by itself, have kids and adults alike roaring with laughter. When the two finally reach the sliding back doors, Rhonda and Gavin are confronted with nature’s ultimate obstruction—rain! However, the determined cousins brave the elements to complete their mission with a window full of astounded adult relatives looking on. Fearing’s digitally-rendered, cartoon-like illustrations perfectly complement his irreverent story. Grown-ups are mostly pictured only from the waist down, reflecting a child’s perspective. A laugh-out-loud book to be shared with guests, young and old, at upcoming Thanksgiving festivities. Reviewer: Lois Rubin Gross; Ages 4 to 10.

Children's Literature - Lois Rubin Gross

08/01/2014
K-Gr 3—The perils of a family get-together are drolly told from a child's point of view. While waiting for "turkey time," Gavin's parents tell him to play with the rest of the kids. Surrounded by drooling, stinky babies, he and his co-conspirator, cousin Rhonda, decide to make a break for it and head to the swing set in the backyard. They stealthily plot their escape and crawl along the floor under the cover of winter coats. Obstacles are faced at every turn, including smooches and snuggles from the "HALL OF AUNTS!" Playing with perspective, Fearing's digitally created cartoons show long lines of pantyhosed legs and an aerial shot of outstretched manicured hands reaching for a hug. Funny play-by-play running commentary describes the action as it unfolds. After a dark basement encounter with teenage video game-playing "ZOMBIES," the two young cousins finally make it to the back door. With wide, toothy grins, they gleefully play outside (despite a sudden downpour), exemplifying their credo, "sometimes you have to make your own fun." Expect requests for second helpings of this holiday treat.—Linda Ludke, London Public Library, Ontario, Canada

School Library Journal

2014-06-30
It's Thanksgiving at Grandma's, and nothing's worse than being stuck with the babies.As he waits with the toddlers for dinnertime, Gavin is pretty despondent…until his cousin Rhonda suggests they make a break for the swingset in the backyard (despite being told to stay with the "rest of the kids"). As she says, "sometimes you have to make your own fun." They creep out of the designated kids' room under cover of coats. The front door is blocked by vicious guard dogs (Grandma's sleeping dachshunds). The "hall of aunts" may leave them pinched and smothered with hugs if they are spotted. They head for the back door, past the "great wall of butts" (parents watching football—don't get between them and the TV!). They make it past the zombies (teenagers playing video games in the basement) and the food trap (the kitchen)…but it's raining. Still, there's fun to be made! Graphic novelist and illustrator Fearing's first solo picture book, based on his memories of Thanksgivings past, is a hoot for all ages. Kids will identify, and parents will reminisce. The digitally manipulated colored-pencil illustrations from a kid's-eye view layer the humor on an exaggeratedly goofy text.A holiday offering that definitely makes a fun all its own. (Picture book. 5-9)

Kirkus Reviews

Fearing finds laughs in the uncomfortable truth that for a lot of people — children included — family holiday gatherings are the opposite of fun.
—New York Times Online
Playing with perspective, Fearing’s digitally created cartoons show long lines of pantyhosed legs and an aerial shot of outstretched manicured hands reaching for a hug. Funny play-by-play running commentary describes the action as it unfolds. ... Expect requests for second helpings of this holiday treat.
—School Library Journal
Graphic novelist and illustrator Fearing’s first solo picture book, based on his memories of Thanksgivings past, is a hoot for all ages. Kids will identify, and parents will reminisce. The digitally manipulated colored-pencil illustrations from a kid’s-eye view layer the humor on an exaggeratedly goofy text. A holiday offering that definitely makes a fun all its own.
—Kirkus Reviews
Fearing revels in his portraits of cinematically exaggerated horrors like the “Hall of Aunts!” (“We’ll be pinched and smothered for sure!” cries Rhonda) and a basement full of teenage “zombies” staring at their digital devices. Rhonda’s advice to Gavin—“Sometimes you have to make your own fun”—will serve readers well on Thanksgiving Day or any time of year.
—Publishers Weekly
Bold, digitally touched pencil illustrations follow the characters through the gauntlet of holiday terrors, from pinching, snuggling aunts to the (allegedly) booby-trapped but so- wonderful-smelling food in the kitchen. Filled with humorous dialogue and with surefire read-aloud appeal, this will easily find an appreciative audience—especially among those who are, like the characters, too old to play with the little kids and too young to play with the big kids.
—Booklist
With their odd angles and unusual perspectives, the digital and pencil caricature illustrations ... capture the claustrophobia—and, for imaginative kids, the diverting possibilities—of a large family gathering.
—The Horn Book
A wonderful kid's-eye view of Thanksgiving. ... Fearing's work has an appealing edginess that resonates with kids, and he's a careful observer of telling detail, which adds to the enjoyment.
—Star Tribune

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The Great Thanksgiving Escape

The Great Thanksgiving Escape

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