Maggie's Pilgrim

Maggie is reading Molly's Pilgrim in class right now (I am also currently reading it to my 1st graders!).

In the story, Molly wants to go back to Russia. The girls in her third-grade class make fun of Molly's imperfect English and her peasant-looking clothes. Her mother reminds her they can't go back to Russia; the reason they came to America was to escape religious persecution, and it would be very dangerous to return. To make matters worse, Molly's teacher gives the class a project for Thanksgiving. Not only has Molly never heard of Thanksgiving, but she is supposed to make a Pilgrim doll out of a clothespin for the class display. That evening, her mother offers to help, and when Molly takes her doll to school the next day, the children tease her, saying her doll doesn't look like a Pilgrim. Molly defends her position, explaining why the doll her mother made is a pilgrim. With the help of the teacher, the entire class soon realizes that not only is Molly right, but it really does take "all kinds of Pilgrims to make a Thanksgiving." This strong and important story easily ranks as one of my favorites and a must read for this and every Thanksgiving!

For extra credit, Maggie wanted to make a clothespin doll with me. I was more than happy to oblige!