Ethel Owen

Ethel Owen spins twelve Thanksgiving-themed stories in this charming vintage children's collection, published in 1927. One or two of the selections are fairy-tales, but the majority are stories of young children and their real world experiences at this holiday time. The contents include:

The Pumpkin People, in which Billy Ladd is befriended by Jimmy Pumpkinseed, one of the eponymous Pumpkin People - a jolly race of brownie-like beings who guard and cultivate pumpkins.

The Grown-Down, which follows Indiana farm girl Mary Lee as she eagerly awaits Thanksgiving Day, as her parents have promised her the opportunity to meet a "grown-down," which turns out to be herself, the opposite of a grown-up.

Sam Squambo sees young Jack becoming very attached to the turkey he is raising for his family's Thanksgiving Day dinner, with a happy outcome for that fowl.

The Curio Cabinet, in which Marion sacrifices her visit with a city aunt in order to help her mother, when a neighbor must leave his children with her family at Thanksgiving time, leading to an unexpected reward.

The Thanksgiving Arbor, in which Dorothy and Donald King resolve to emulate their grandmother, who keeps a decorative paper arbor to which she adds a leaf for every blessing she receives.

Rosebud's Thanksgiving, in which a poor little girl living in Cloudland is rewarded for her kindness to an old lady, when that lady turns out to be the Queen of the Sun.

The Thanksgiving Brownie, which sees Evelyn Fenton resolving to be better about helping her mother with her work, after a dream involving a brownie.

Thanksgiving Baskets follows twins Justine and John as they learn that their elderly neighbor Mrs. Keen is actually a wonderfully friendly and benevolent lady, rather than an old grouch, as they had thought.

The Storm, which sees David Ross rescuing his schoolmate Mary Carl and their teacher, Miss Gray, from a Thanksgiving Day storm.

Blessings Shared, in which Richard discovers the pleasure of sharing with others, after he meets a poor young girl on his walk home from the store, and gives her his mittens and a bag of goodies.

Thanksgiving Acorns, which sees the squirrel Umple managing to escape the clutches of the wicked wold Ramf-Ramf, arriving home just in time for a Thanksgiving feast.

And finally, Cranberries for Thanksgiving, in which Billy and Betty learn how cranberries are harvested, while on a visit to their uncle's farm.

All in all, I enjoyed The Pumpkin People, finding it a sweet, old-fashioned collection of stories, many of them featuring wholesome messages about kindness, generosity and thankfulness. Some of the stories reminded me a bit of L.M. Montgomery's work, although I don't know that they are as memorable. Still, this was a fun seasonal read, one I would recommend to those who enjoy vintage children's fiction.… (meer)