Thanksgiving Books

Thanksgiving. It is my absolute favorite holiday! I love fixing a huge traditional meal and having everyone over for a day of eating, fellowship and lots of laughter. We look forward to it every single year. The moment Halloween was over, Charlotte exclaimed, "Is it Thanksgiving day yet?". We have been reading a few Thanksgiving themed books for the past two weeks now preparing her for the festivities that are to come. Some of these are our favorites from last year and the rest are new ones that we stumbled upon recently. Light a pumpkin candle, snuggle under a blanket and check out what has been on our bookshelf lately.

Thanks for Thanksgiving by Julie Markes
This is a perfect book to  introduce preschoolers to the fact that Thanksgiving is about being thankful for all of those special little things in their life.  It includes short and simply rhymes that are incredibly heart warming and relatable. It shows kids being thankful for the food on the table to hopscotch to rain boots and puddles. We especially love the warm, beautiful illustrations that cover each and every page!

This Is the Turkey by Abby Levine
We love this book! It follows a family as they plan for and prepare all of the food for Thanksgiving, greet loved ones and get together to celebrate the holiday together. Best part is the moral of the story. Towards the end of the book, disaster strikes when the turkey accidentally ends up in the fish tank. The characters quickly realize that they still have plenty to be thankful for and the holiday is far from ruined over one silly little mishap. It is told in the same style as This is the House Jack Built with fun, short rhymes.

One Little, Two Little, Three Little Pilgrims by B.G. Hennessy
What I like about this book is that it gently introduces kids to Pilgrims as well as the Wampanoag Indians who celebrated that famous first Thanksgiving together. It begins with the familiar tune by meeting the ten little Pilgrims, then the ten little Wampanoags. It then shows both groups collecting and preparing food such as digging for clams, hunting for ducks, digging for turnips and gathering nuts. It ends by including ten big turkeys and showing everyone coming together to give thanks and eat. Charlotte really likes the illustrations in this book and takes her time studying each and every one thoroughly. We often stop to discuss what the characters are doing in each picture.

Thanksgiving Rules by Laurie B. Friedman
Meet Percy Isaac Gifford. A little boy who shares his 10 rules for Thanksgiving day. He gives advice on how to tolerate what clothes your mom dresses you in, always help clean the house and prepare the food, greet all of your guest, how to fully enjoy the entire buffet and most importantly how to show appreciation. It's silly. It rhymes and it includes fun illustrations that every kid will love. 
(We read this one as an eBook so I don't have a photo to share). 

This First Thanksgiving Day: A Counting Story by Laura Krauss Melmed
This is a short counting book (from 1-12) that shows Wampanoug and Pilgrim friends coming together for a Thanksgiving feast. Each page flips back and forth between both groups showing what they did to prepare for the big day. It is told in an easy rhyme and includes some really spectacular illustrations. Charlotte loves to find the rabbits and turkey that are hidden throughout several of the pictures.

Thanksgiving at Our House by P.K. Hallinan
I'm a bit surprised that this book doesn't have more reviews. It is incredibly cute and definitely one of our Thanksgiving favorites. It shows a family going through the typical Thanksgiving traditions of watching the parade and preparing a feast. However, the main focus is how we should spend the holiday being thankful for the numerous family and friends that bless our lives. The story is told in a really sweet rhyme and the illustrations are very vibrant and fun to look at. I especially like the fact that one of the playmates who comes over is pictured in a wheelchair. This is always the first book that comes to mind when I am asked to recommend a good Thanksgiving book for toddlers!

The Night Before Thanksgiving by Natasha Wing
We are big fans of this series! Each one contains a fun twist on the popular classic Twas the Night Before Christmas. Wing has such an amazing talent for coming up with clever rhymes that smoothly flow from one page to the next. This book covers all of the Thanksgiving traditions: preparation of favorite foods, parade watching, excitement over family arriving, mishaps that always happen on a holiday and of course the enjoyment of leftovers the next day. The illustrations are super fun to look at and the story always makes Charlotte giggle, especially the part about the vision of drumsticks dancing in the kid's heads. We found this book last year and it will continue to be on our Thanksgiving to read list for many yeas to come.

One Is a Feast for Mouse: A Thanksgiving Tale by Judy Cox
Last, but certainly not least. This is our favorite new find this year! It is the tale of a little mouse who quietly waits in his hidey-hole until the Thanksgiving meal is completed and everyone is either sleeping or playing. He sneaks onto the table and it happy to discover a few leftovers that he slowly collects in hopes of making a special feast for himself. Charlotte loves the illustrations and hearing how the tiny mouse stacks the food that he gathers. I personally love the repetition and the descriptive vocabulary throughout the entire book. It also includes a great lesson on greed, not taking more that you need and being thankful and content for what you have.

Are you craving turkey and dressing yet? Hope you check out a few of these books before the big celebration in a few weeks. If you have any other favorite Thanksgiving books, please leave us any suggestions. We are always on the lookout for new books to add to our list. You can find our other book reviews here. Thanks for stopping by and happy reading!!!