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Synopsis: Molly and her family have moved to America from Russia. Her mother says they moved to find freedom. But the children in Molly's third-grade class make fun of her accent and clothes. That doesn't seem like freedom to Molly at all. At Thanksgiving everyone has to bring a Pilgrim doll to class. The doll Molly's mother makes looks like a Russian peasant girl. It doesn't look at all like the Pilgrims Molly has seen in her schoolbook. Molly is afraid she'll never fit in with her classmates now.
Discussion topics for before reading:
• Why did the Pilgrims come to America? What was behind the original Thanksgiving feast?
• How did the early settlers survive the harsh conditions when they first arrived?
In which book does a mother make a clothespin doll?
In which book is a little girl not well treated by her classmates because her English is not perfect yet?
In which book did a girl move from Russia to America?
In which book, does a little girl celebrate for the first time Thanksgiving ?
In which book did a girl emigrate from Russia?
In what book does the teacher plan to make a model of a village at Plymouth, Massachusetts?
In what book does a teacher explain how our Thanksgiving is like a Jewish holiday?
In what book does the teacher invite the main character's Mother to school?
In what book does the main character attend school at Winter Hill?
In this book, the main character is a third grader in Winter Hill.
In what book did a clothespin girl teach a class about religious freedom?
In what book did Elizabeth and Hilda sing about eyes that are “awfly small” and a nose that is “awfly tall?”
What book did Barbara Cohen write?
In this book, the main character was born in Russia and lived in New York City and Winter Hill. In what book is the main character’s first language Yiddish?
In what book is the teacher’s name is Miss Stickley?
In what book was a model of Plymouth, Massachusetts being made in a sand table at the back of the classroom?
In what book did the main character carry her project to school in a paper bag and then keep it in her desk?
In this book, Emma was the first person to be kind to the main character.
In which book is the main character’s family is Jewish?
Discussion topics for during/after reading:
• At the start of the story, why did Molly not like school? Why did some of the other children laugh at Molly?
• Why didn't Molly want to show her doll to Elizabeth at first? Why does Elizabeth make fun of things or people that are "different?"
• How would you treat a new student at your school? Do you know any students who have arrived from a foreign country?
Craft ideas:
• Make finger puppets of pilgrims and other Thanksgiving figures featured in the book.
• Make a set of Thanksgiving bookmarks.
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