Thomas Jefferson's Feast Summary

A book that opened my eyes is Thomas Jefferson’s Feast by Frank Murphy. This is a step into reading book, aimed at a fourth grade audience. The book gives some background on Thomas Jefferson but mainly talks about his trip abroad to France and the foods he brings back to America and shares in a feast. Foods such as French fries, macaroni and cheese, ice cream and tomatoes. I read this book when I was in third grade and I remember how proud I was that I could read this book written for kids older than me. I did not get it on the first try though, I had to practice several times, and practice pronunciation of some of the words. Some words I had to keep repeating many times until I finally got it. When I could finally read the book cover to

It tells about how he had a large personal library containing books on many different subjects. It also tells about how he loved writing letters and how many letters he wrote, especially before and during the Revolutionary War. It even says that he wrote fifty-one letters in one day. He wrote to other generals, other Founding Fathers and in his journal during his travels. This lead to him writing the Declaration of Independence, and how he worked on writing this document for seventeen days straight. It also told about his love of food, and how much he spent on groceries. This is what inspired him to try new dishes and explore other country’s cuisine, such as France. The country he visits and shares their food in the book. This is also something I connected with and inspired me. I have always wanted to travel the world, exploring different cultures, and sharing what I have experienced with others. I realized that a great way to share this is through writing. Whether that is on a blog or old fashioned pen and paper, Thomas Jefferson’s writings made me learn

I then aspired to have a large library with a vast array of subjects. I thought that if I did this I could achieve the level of greatness that he did. I began to look up to him and his many accomplishments. This encouraged me to continue reading and pursue interests, no matter what anyone else thought of them. I racked up the courage to stand up in front of my peers and share my reading skills as well as my new found interests. As I excitedly shared this book with my class, I noticed that none of my fellow students showed the same amount of enthusiasm or interest for the book as I did. Some of the students were yawning, while others looked around the room, the only person whose full attention I had was the teacher. This was discouraging for me as I thought the book was very cool and thought my classmates would