Close Menu
    Subscribe

    Carole P. Roman Discusses Mrs. Rabbit’s Friendsgiving Dinner

    Dr. Jen HarrisonBy 7 Mins Read Ages 4-8 Animal Books Author Interviews Author Showcase Food and Drink Picture Books
    Carole P Roman Discusses Mrs Rabbits Friendsgiving Dinner

    An interview and book spotlight in partnership with Carole P. Roman
    The Children’s Book Review

    With its focus on celebrating friendship, thoughtfulness, and togetherness, Mrs. Rabbit’s Friendsgiving Dinner is another heartwarming story from award-winning children’s author Carole P. Roman. In this conversation, Carole dishes up plenty of thoughts on family, gratitude, her favorite Thanksgiving foods, and the inspiration for Mrs. Rabbit herself. Read on!

    What does Thanksgiving mean to you?

    I love Thanksgiving. I enjoy the food, the company, and the anticipation of guests coming to share a special meal. I did all of our family holiday dinners for the past forty years and cherished each one of them. It’s funny how the food served over time reflects the changing diets of my family!

    Many years ago, when I graduated, I was a substitute teacher and had to make lesson plans to keep the students engaged. One of my favorites was to ask them to write their Thanksgiving menu. When we compared dishes, the other students were able to identify their backgrounds, and it was as fun as it was informative. Based on the dishes, we were able to learn about different cultures and environments that shape them.

    What was the inspiration for Mrs. Rabbit and her lonely holiday? Do you think this is something a lot of readers can relate to?

    I wrote it when I ate my turkey dinner over a zoom call during COVID. I was alone and missing the companionship of my friends and family. It was a tough time. The excitement of the meal wasn’t the only thing taken during the pandemic. The planning of the menu, buying the supplies, and setting a festive table was canceled by the circumstances.

    Mrs Rabbits Friendsgiving

    Mrs. Rabbit is an unusual choice of protagonist for a picture book – her problems are probably more familiar to the grown-ups reading the story! What made you choose to write a story with no child characters at all?

    Holidays are about more than food. It’s a time when generations connect. Children learn from older relatives. Stories are handed down. Maybe it’s really a story about making the best of the situation when you can’t change your circumstances. I think both parents and children suffered during the lockdown and faced disappointments. We all had to cope with unprecedented issues.

    So, Friendsgiving has become a popular alternative to “Thanksgiving” in the media – what do you think the difference is, and why does Thanksgiving need a new name?

    Just the name Thanksgiving conjures family, food, football, and fall weather. What happens when you can’t have that? I heard about Friendsgiving from a friend of mine. She doesn’t see her family and misses the festiveness of the holiday. She organized a Friendsgiving, inviting people with similar circumstances. Maybe there was a fracture in the family, perhaps they live too far away, and lastly, sometimes it just can’t happen. No one should feel alone. We always included people who had nowhere to go during our holidays. After all, I think that must be part of the intent.

    Thanksgiving has become controversial in recent years. What message do you have for families who are maybe not sure they want to celebrate Thanksgiving?

    Thanksgiving doesn’t have to be politically polarizing or steeped in anyone’s ideology. The approach to celebrating doesn’t have to be dogmatic. Embrace it in ways that change the representation of the holiday. We have a new tradition. Every holiday, no matter what it is, we ask my four grandchildren and children what they are thankful for. We identify what they relate to, and believe me; it’s not history, politics, or religion. 

    What advice do you have for readers who might like to plan their own Friendsgiving celebration?

    Make it fun. Invite each person and ask them to bring a dish that represents their ethnic background. Let it be an exchange of ideas and culture.

    What is your favorite Thanksgiving/Friendsgiving recipe?

    I love all the leftovers. I squeeze everything into a sandwich and eat it cold the next day. But if I had to pick one thing, it’s the sweet potatoes. No, wait, it’s the stuffing. But I sort of love the cranberry sauce,  and then there’s my grandmother’s potato pie. You’ll notice turkey did not make the list. 

    This story has a slightly different feel to some of your other books, like the joke books or Captain No Beard. What made you decide on a more serious tone for this book?

    I seriously wrote it while eating the food delivered from a deli. Ugh. 

    Can we look forward to more holiday-themed stories in the future?

    Oh, Susannah! Things that Go Bump is not about Halloween. It’s about facing your fears, but it does take place right around the end of October. I liked writing about holidays again and maybe there’ll be something next year that will happen and inspire me.

    What other Thanksgiving-themed stories would you recommend to readers who want to get into the holiday mood?

    I like the book “I Know an Old Lady who Swallowed a Pie” by Alison Jackson. She’s hilarious. I also like “Turkey Trouble” by Wendi Silvano.

    About the Book

    Mrs Rabbits Friendsgiving

    Mrs. Rabbit’s Friendsgiving Dinner

    Written by Carole P. Roman

    Illustrated by Mateya Arkova

    Ages 4+ | 34 Pages

    Publisher: Chelshire | ISBN-13: 9781950080052

    Publisher’s Book Summary: Mrs. Rabbit’s large family is all too busy to come home for their annual holiday dinner.

    She is feeling a bit lonely, and out of habit, she prepares a large feast.
    To her growing dismay, she realizes she has no one to share it with.
    Her doorbell rings, and one by one, her furry forest critter friends ask to join her.
    Soon enough, her holiday table is brimming with tasty dishes.

    The best part of a holiday dinner, she learns, is not the food but the company that shares it with you.

    Mrs. Rabbit’s Friendsgiving Dinner is a cheerful and thoughtful addition to any holiday story collection.

    The Children’s Book Review
    Buy the Book
    Amazon

    About the Author

    Carole P. Roman is the award-winning author of over fifty children’s books. Whether it’s pirates, princesses, spies, or discovering the world around us, her books have enchanted educators, parents, and her diverse audience of children of all ages.

    Her best-selling book, The Big Book of Silly Jokes for Kids: 800+ Jokes! has reached number one on Amazon in March of 2020 and has remained in the top 200 books since then.

    She published Mindfulness for Kids with J. Robin Albertson-Wren.

    Carole has co-authored two self-help books. Navigating Indieworld: A Beginners Guide to Self-Publishing and Marketing with Julie A. Gerber, and Marketing Indieworld with both Julie A. Gerber and Angela Hausman.

    Roman is the CEO of a global transportation company, as well as a practicing medium.

    She also writes adult fiction under the name Brit Lunden and has created an anthology of the mythical town of Bulwark, Georgia with a group of indie authors.

    Writing is her passion and one of her favorite pastimes. Roman reinvents herself frequently, and her family calls her the ‘mother of reinvention.’ She resides on Long Island, near her children and grandchildren.

    For more information, visit http://www.caroleproman.com/.

    Carole P. Roman: Author Headshot

    This interview—Carole P. Roman Discusses Mrs. Rabbit’s Friendsgiving Dinner—was conducted between Carole P. Roman and Dr. Jen Harrison. For similar books and articles, follow along with our content tagged with Carole P. Roman, Fact Books, Humorous Books, Interactive Books, and Joke Books.

    What to Read Next:

    1. Mrs. Rabbit’s Friendsgiving Dinner | Dedicated Review
    2. Carole P. Roman Discusses Henrietta Hedgehog’s Prickly Problem
    3. Mary Jane Begin Discusses Ping Meets Pang
    4. An Interview with Catherine Ann Russell, Author of ‘Boo Bear’s Light: An ABC Rhyming Picture Book for Children’

    *Disclosure: Please note that this post may contain affiliate links that share some commission. Rest assured that these will not affect the cost of any products and services promoted here. Our team always provides their authentic opinion in all content published on this site.

    Share.

    Dr. Jen Harrison provides writing and research services as the CEO of Read.Write.Perfect. She completed her Ph.D. in Children’s and Victorian Literature at Aberystwyth University in Wales, in the UK. After a brief spell in administration, Jen then trained as a secondary school English teacher and worked for several years teaching Secondary School English, working independently as a private tutor of English, and working in nursery and primary schools. She has been an editor for the peer-reviewed journal of children’s literature, Jeunesse, and has published academic work on children’s non-fiction, YA speculative fiction, and the posthuman.

    120 Comments

    4. Barbara on

      What a wonderful book for the grandchildren. We can all relate as our Thanksgivings include those single people who may or may not have family close by. All are welcome.

      Reply
    11. Debbie Dubois on

      My Arianna would love this to read to her siblings she has such joy in book time a new book is always her favorite to share thanks

      Reply
    16. gloria patterson on

      this would be a fun thing for a teacher to do with their students………… you are the same but different zay would love

      Reply
    23. gloria patterson on

      this sounds like a book that zay would like and understand. On thanksgiving she has dinner at her aunts then they leave there and go to her grandmothers. Where the food at both places are different. And she also eats at the dinner her mommy makes for her daddy’s friends and that food is different.

      Reply
    26. Frankie Pinnix on

      My extended family goes all out for Thanksgiving! It’s a very special time for everyone! I would enjoy reading this amazing book to my nieces and nephews!

      Reply
    37. Daniel Scott on

      My wife is teaching her students about friendship and gratitude and this book would be a great addition to her classroom library

      Reply
    40. gloria patterson on

      You never know who is going to show up at zay grandmother and pappy house for thanksgiving. And they all come in bring all kinds of good food

      Reply
    45. gloria patterson on

      this is a book that would good for zay she knows different people get together for hoildays at her grandma house and aunt house. But this would help understand more

      Reply
    Leave A Reply

    This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.