Ah, Thanksgiving. This is basically the only time of year when I eat pie, and you can bet I’m looking forward to it — and my mom’s famous marshmallow-topped yams.
While I’m all about celebrating holidays with themed books, I don’t ever remember reading Thanksgiving books as a kid and only read a few of them to my own kids last year. Therefore, we plowed through a ton of Thanksgiving books to find options that were fun (there are a lot of dumb turkey books out there), touched on gratitude, and explained the history of the holiday. I hope you and your family enjoy our Thanksgiving picks and can snag some from the library before the big day!
Giving Thanks: A Native American Good Morning Message by Chief Jake Swamp. This stunning book is written and illustrated by Native Americans and shares a traditional Thanksgiving address still given by the Iroquois at ceremonial events. It’s not technically about the Thanksgiving holiday as we know it, but it’s about giving gratitude to the earth for everything we have.
A Plump and Perky Turkey by Teresa Bateman. My kids and I laughed at this story about a smart turkey who outwits an entire town trying to find him and eat him for Thanksgiving. The illustrator gave the turkey the best facial expressions, and the rhyming text is fun to read aloud. I also just discovered that the author was born in the same city I was and that we attended the same college. How cool is that?
The Memory Cupboard: A Thanksgiving Story by Charlotte Herman. This sweet book is about a girl who accidentally breaks a family heirloom during Thanksgiving dinner at her grandma’s house. Instead of scolding her, Grandma teaches her that family is most important. We loved this one!
Balloons over Broadway: The True Story of the Puppeteer of Macy’s Parade by Melissa Sweet. If you buy just one Thanksgiving book this year, make it this one. We read it last year, and I can still remember the bright, colorful illustrations and the amazing story of the puppeteer who started the tradition of giant balloons in the Thanksgiving Day parade.
One Little, Two Little, Three Little Pilgrims by B.G. Hennessy. This is a counting book geared to younger kids, but older kids will have fun listening to it, too. My 5-year-olds really liked the illustrations and the rhythm of the text (I sang it to the tune of “Ten Little Indians,” but you could just read it). It describes life for both the pilgrims and the Wampanoag tribe in a simple way that kids can understand.
Apple Cake: A Gratitude by Dawn Casey. You could read this book anytime, but I think it’s perfect for fall and Thanksgiving. A little girl says thank you for lots of different things, like farmers, eggs and milk, and the illustrations are adorable. At the end, you discover she is thankful for all the ingredients that go into an apple cake, and then there’s a recipe on the back page. This book was absolutely darling!
Sarah Gives Thanks: How Thanksgiving Became a National Holiday by Mike Allegra. There’s actually another book about Sarah Hale called Thank You, Sarah: The Woman Who Saved Thanksgiving that is great, too, but I preferred this one because it offered more insights into Sarah’s life and the illustrations were more accessible for younger kids. It explains how it took 38 years for Sarah Hale to get the president to make Thanksgiving an official holiday. There are a lot of interesting details here!
I Know an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Pie by Alison Jackson. The illustrations and fun rhyme and rhythm make this book a winner. I even found myself chuckling as the old lady swallowed a giant cooking pot after turkey, pie, cider, and other various Thanksgiving foods. The “swallowed a fly” books are not always my favorite, but this one is hilarious.
Share your favorite Thanksgiving books with me! I’m on the hunt for even more great options for this season.
