Thanksgiving is an often skipped over holiday but it’s one of my favorites. As soon as Halloween is over I pack up our scary decorations and books about ghosts and bats and pull out our Thanksgiving box. A nice sign about being thankful replaces the Halloween one on the door and a basket of books about Thanksgiving and gratitude sits in our living room.
That basket contains old favorites about being thankful and Thanksgiving, but this year it also holds some new children’s books. I’ve had the chance to review a large number of children’s books about Thanksgiving this year and there are some that are too wonderful not to share. So here are my picks for new and old Thanksgiving Children’s Books worthy of your annual Thanksgiving basket or box.
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15 Thanksgiving Books for Your Collection
1. Five Little Thank Yous
by Cindy Jin and illustrated by Dawn M. Cardona
This is a darling new board book perfect for Thanksgiving. Count on five little fingers what little ones are thankful for – family, food, friends, love and being me! Written in rhyme and illustrated with bright colors and warmth, this is a lovely little book to share with babies and toddlers at Thanksgiving time.
2. Be Thankful, Be Giving
by Charles M. Shultz
This board book is super cute. It has short rhyming couplets on each page that reflect on giving and gratitude. The sweet Peanuts characters are depicted doing traditional Thanksgiving things. A nice Thanksgiving book for little ones.
3. See, Touch, Feel: Happy Thanksgiving
by Holly Price, Kerri-Ann Hulme, Will Putnam, and Amy Oliver
This is a fun tactile board book for someone’s first Thanksgiving. It has a simple Thanksgiving message with one thought of gratitude on each page. The photographs and textured illustrations are perfect for babies and toddlers.
4. If Animals Gave Thanks
by Amy Whitford Paul and pictures by David Walker
A darling Thanksgiving book for little ones who love animals. The gentle illustrations and rhyming text are perfect for toddlers and preschoolers. This book works all Fall but is especially lovely around Thanksgiving when you’re talking about being grateful.
5. Thanks for Thanksgiving
by Julie Markes
I love the warm illustrations in this story about Thanksgiving and family coming together. This is my absolute favorite Thanksgiving picture book.
6. Thanksgiving in the Woods
by Phyllis Alsdurf
Did you know that there was a family in upstate New York that hosted a Thanksgiving in the Woods for 200 of their family and neighbors for two decades? I love this idea! This is the tradition captured in this warm Thanksgiving tale. Told through the eyes of their grandchild, this book shares the preparations and celebrations of a Thanksgiving in the woods. It is warm and beautiful and full of love. Children listening will recognize their Thanksgiving celebrations in the descriptions but will also close the book begging to move your holiday into the woods. This book is well told with lyrical language and a comforting refrain and illustrated with the warmth of Fall and the crispness of fresh air. A wonderful children’s book for Thanksgiving.
7. Balloons Over Broadway
by Melissa Sweet
This is the true story of the puppeteer that is the original mastermind behind the balloons of the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade which we got to see this year! The illustrations in this book can’t be beat and I love the fascinating history lesson.
8. Bear Says Thanks
by Karma Wilson
If you have read BEAR SNORES ON, you are familiar with this delightful series by Karma Wilson and Jane Chapman. BEAR SAYS THANKS offers the same warmth with rhyming text, a glowing cave full of friends, and a wonderful message about being thankful. It is not specifically a Thanksgiving book, but the illustrations have a warm, Fall feel to them and the story feels like an information Thanksgiving.
9. Thanksgiving is for Giving Thanks
by Margaret Sutherland
Now for some more Thanksgiving related books. A sweet book that introduces the basics of Thanksgiving and emphasizes the message of giving thanks.
10. Thanksgiving at the Tappletons’
by Eileen Spinelli
illustrated by Maryann Cocca-Leffler
This is an amusing story about a family’s thanksgiving where every part of the meal goes wrong. At the end they are all reminded that it’s being together that matters the most, not having the perfect Thanksgiving feast. Cute story and good message about the true spirit of Thanksgiving.
11. The Know-Nothings Talk Turkey
by Michele Sobel Spirn
pictures by R. W. Alley
This is a silly story about a group of friends who know nothing about Thanksgiving. A little Amelia Bedelia meets Thanksgiving traditions. This one is perfect for kindergarteners and up. It’s an I CAN READ BOOK so the text is pretty simple, but finding it funny requires some basic knowledge about Thanksgiving.
12. Gulp, Gobble
Written by Marilyn Singer
Illustrated by Kathryn Durst
This is not a Thanksgiving specific book, but it is full of great eating words and food. It’s a fun one to put in the hands of new readers. It only uses 24 words and those are all listed with pronunciations at the beginning. I love that it’s a super simple book but it has words that you don’t often find in Easy Readers even though they can be (mostly) sounded out using basic phonics skills.
13. Gobble Up, Snoopy
by Charles M. Schulz
I think I would have titled this something different – Snoopy Says Thank You perhaps, but it is a fun PEANUTS book to put in the hands of your early reader. Snoopy gets the idea to write a Thank You and pens a rather long winded thank you to his food dish. The expressive illustrations and classic PEANUTS humor is in full force here. A title that could definitely fit with your Thanksgiving titles, but general enough that it could also be pulled out any time of year.
14. We Are Thankful
by Margaret McNamara
This is an adorable early reader for Thanksgiving. Perfect for kids who are able to handle a sentence or two per page. It tells a sweet story with clues in the text to figure out potentially unknown words. With brief text it still manages to communicate a wonderful message about being thankful that will be relatable to kids in the early primary grades.
15. Nancy Drew Clue Book: Turkey Trot Plot
by Carolyn Keene
A Thanksgiving addition to a sweet series of books. I grew up reading Nancy Drew books and I’m delighted by this new series for younger readers. Nancy and her best pals team up in this one to solve the mystery of a missing chocolate turkey. The format is similar to the original series and that repetition from book to book is comforting to readers. As with all Nancy Drew mysteries, it is fun for the reader to try to figure out the mystery as they read. That is highly encouraged here. There is even a pause in the book before the last chapter to give the reader time to puzzle over the clues. Everyone will want to form their own Clue Crew after reading this.
