Annie’s Thanksgiving Bookshelf

A friend asked me today for Thanksgiving book recommendations, which prompted me to pull all my mine down from their high shelf. The kids quickly flocked around to see their old holiday friends back again. I hope these stories will warm your hearts in a season of gratitude. (Books are listed in order from youngest ages to oldest.)
- Thanksgiving Is…by Gail Gibbons- This starts with ancient history and skips along through usual traditions ending with sharing & caring. Good from start to finish!
- Clifford’s First Autumn and Clifford’s Thanksgiving Visit by Norman Birdwell – Perfect fit for preschoolers.
- The Night Before Thanksgiving by Natasha Wing – This one is mostly about food, but still a fun read for younger kids.
- Thanksgiving at the Tappletons’ by Eileen Spinelli – This is a funny story mostly about food.
- Thanksgiving is for Giving Thanks by Margaret Sutherland – Good for younger children to remember their blessings.
- The Story of the Pilgrims – Simple picture story book about the pilgrims. A helpful way to give early elementary children the history of Thanksgiving.
- The Bernstein Bears Give Thanks by Mike Bernstein – Another good one for younger kids to encourage true thankfulness.
- Give Thanks to the Lord by Karma Wilson – Beautiful pictures, but I wish there were more substance to this count your blessings book.
- The Story of the First Thanksgiving by Elaine Raphael – A picture book about Plymouth life with drawing lessons at the end.
- How Many Days to America? A Thanksgiving Story by Eva Bunting – Not your typical Thanksgiving book. This is the story of a family immigrating by boat from Cuba.
- Cranberry Thanksgiving by Wende Devlin – A sweet story about the cranberry harvest on Cape Cod. A great example of true friendship and a delicious orange cranberry bread recipe at the end.
- Squanto and the Miracle of Thanksgiving by Eric Metaxas – Well known author and has beautiful pictures with Christian themes.
- Three Young Pilgrims by Cheryl Harness – Interesting variety of illustrations that tells the story of pilgrim life from children’s perspectives.
- The Thanksgiving Story by Alice Dalgliesh – History of Thanksgiving with modern, simple illustrations.
- If You Were At…The First Thanksgiving by Anne Kamma – Like others in this series, this book is good for curious kids who want to know more about the pilgrims’ lives.
- Thanksgiving Day: A Time to Be Thankful by Elaine Landau – A thorough overview of the history and traditions of Thanksgiving. Lots of interesting pictures throughout.
- Squanto’s Journey: The Story of the First Thanksgiving by Joseph Bruchac- The Thanksgiving story as told by Tisquantum, also known as Squanto.
- The Legend of Squanto – Audiobook (dramatized) with Christian themes.
- Squanto: Friend of the Pilgrims by Clyde Robert Bulla – Quick chapter book with some illustrations. Great family read aloud for the family.
- An Old Fashioned Thanksgiving by Louisa May Alcott – A lesser known chapter book by a well-known author containing good themes of family love and traditions.
- What Was the First Thanksgiving? by Lauren Mortimer- The “Who/What Was books are fun, informative reads!
Hope you enjoy reading with your kids!
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