Christmas is, without a doubt, my favorite holiday. However, Thanksgiving is a very close second! I figure I’m one of the few people who intentionally decorates for Thanksgiving between Halloween and Christmas, but in our family, Thanksgiving isn’t just a part of the season, it is a stand-alone holiday! It doesn’t hurt that my birthday falls on or around Turkey Day each year…
Just like the other holidays, I have a Thanksgiving book collection for my kiddos. Sadly, the availability of Thanksgiving books is limited, but there are still some great reads out there! Here’s a list of our current favorites!
‘Twas the Night Before Thanksgiving
by Dav Pilkey
Our friend Dav Pilkey shows up again with this hilarious book. My preschooler loves this story, but the illustrations are enough to captivate the attention of my toddler as well. This story about the fate of 8 Thanksgiving turkeys on a turkey farm gives me a chuckle every time. The story is written as a poem (it loosely follows The Night Before Christmas), so the lyrical verses are great for afternoon story time or this one occassionally finds its way into the bedtime story rotation!
Fancy Nancy Our Thanksgiving Banquet
by Jane O’Connor
Right now, this is our only Fancy Nancy book! My oldest really enjoys this one, especially the vivid illustrations and the silly antics of the main character. This book is a great tool to introduce the concept of the “adult” table and the “kids” table at any family gathering. This particular book included stickers (an instant favorite here at my house) and even has instructions at the end for making hand print paper turkeys. This is one fun book all the way around!
Happy Thanksgiving, Curious George
by H.A. Rey
No collection is complete without the addition of everyone’s favorite monkey. Once again, young readers can follow George through his perfect Thanksgiving Day by enjoying any one of the 7 short stories. Older readers will enjoy reading all the stories at once and seeing Geroge’s day from start to finish!
by Nancy Davis
This was the perfect addition to our collection last year, when my youngest was a mere 8 months old. This board book is full of simple pictures and simply tells the story of the Pilgrims first Thanksgiving feast. Complete with lift-the-flaps on each page, this has quickly become a favorite of my toddler and preschooler alike!
by Julie Markes
This book is full of truly beautiful illustrations. A simple story of thanks, with simple text, lets the reader enjoy the illustrations and imagine the details of the story. A preschooler could spend hours pouring over all the details and hidden meaning in these pictures! A very neat and enjoyable addition to our collection.
What other great Thanksgiving books do your kids love?
Thanksgiving DOES seem to have become “the forgotten holiday”! I’m delighted that you are giving it special attention (along with your birthday)!
“Thanksgiving Is…” by Gail Gibbons is a GREAT book to teach kids what Thanksgiving is, “If You Were at The First Thanksgiving”, by Anna Kamma, and “What Was the First Thanksgiving” (for older children) are also some good ones.
This year, our family will be reading “Giving Thanks”, a new collection of poems, prayers, and praise songs of Thanksgiving at the Thanksgiving table. We’ll pass it around and read aloud…and give MUCH thanks for ALL our blessings. Happy Thanksgiving!