Tommy's Thanksgiving dinner: a play for small actors

Tommy's Thanksgiving dinner by Mary Taylor Cornish is a short children’s play written in the early 20th century. It presents a light holiday fantasy for school performance, personifying Thanksgiving dishes and a cook book to explore the joy of a family feast and the value of learning how to cook.

Tommy, eager for Grandma’s Thanksgiving dinner and disappointed by his sister Kate’s book-led cooking, falls asleep and dreams a parade of foods: Mr. Bowl of Soup, Mr. Turkey, the Cranberry Maids, Mr. Irish Potato, Miss White Onion, Cabbage, and Peter Pumpkin, each introducing themselves in playful verse. They fret amiably about becoming dinner and pledge harmony before Miss Cook Book arrives to speak plainly, praising domestic science and reminding Tommy that good meals come from knowledge as well as tradition. The foods sing farewell, promising to return “in a silver spoon” at noon, and Tommy wakes with a grin and dashes off to meet the holiday.