Little Mole Gives Thanks

There is a handful of book series that my children adore; The Chronicles of Narnia, The Penderwicks, Harry Potter, and anything by Robert McCloskey and Virginia Lee Burton. They have created many impromptu plays around the stories, recreated the worlds from the stories using legos, paints, and items found in nature, and retold the stories countless times while often tucking into bed at night with at least one of these volumes in hand. Comfort reading, they tell me. My husband and I have been parenting for over twenty years now and have three distinct waves of children; the bigs, the middles, and the littles. Each group has their individual book treasures, and my youngest crew have had the blessing of adding the Little Mole series to their days. When Little Mole Gives Thanks by Glenys Nellist arrived on my doorstep from the publisher, it was met with much whooping and hollering by my littles and all other exploits were abandoned in favor of reading the newest edition to the Little Mole series.

Little Mole Gives Thanks centers around our favorite mole and his quest to create a meal to remember for loved ones. He meticulously spreads a beautiful table, preparing to welcome three special guests. As each one comes down the lane, Little Mole is greeted by the disappointing news that each one cannot attend. His friends, who watched his preparations and cheered him on, rally to comfort Little Mole. Little Mole brightens and decides that the feast was actually for these friends and welcomes them all to the table. He makes room for each, toasts them all, and together they give thanks for the fanciest forest feast ever. The book concludes with ideas for the reader to use so they can plan their own fancy feast. The words are soothing, the font accessible, and the illustrations cozy. 

This book is typical of the author’s work; welcoming, homey, and versatile for use in ministry. It definitely deserves a spot on your children’s and family ministry shelves. Families will enjoy reading it together wherever they land; the hardcover ensures it will be durable for many, many reads, even if they wind up happening in carpool lines, doctor’s office waiting rooms, or couches surrounded by people, pets, and snacks. I have already popped a copy on the shelf that welcomes families into our Sunday School space each week and have had children scoop it up and drop to the floor for a read. I would recommend a copy for your shelf when you are looking for a tool to help discuss the parable of the wedding feast, as it connects beautifully. Definitely, you can add this to pew baskets and praygrounds. This book is also a great resource for adults when they’re working through ministry plans that have caused them to pivot. Honestly, a read aloud of this book to start a church council meeting when big decisions around change need to be made would be a solid foundation to guide prayer, attention, and discussion. So much versatility from one Little Mole!