The holidays are the perfect time to fit in reading, especially when it comes to these must-read Thanksgiving kids books. I absolutely adore teaching my children all about each holiday and the importance behind it, Thanksgiving being one of my favorites. Books have such a way of bringing these behind the scenes meanings to life. This makes it much more exciting to children and allows them to learn through their imagination which is truly the best way. If you need some suggestions on what books to grab up for this Thanksgiving season, I have a few listed below!
Favorite Thanksgiving Books For Kids
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The First Thanksgiving by Jean Craighead George
This book has been out for a while (almost 20 years) and has provided a wonderful avenue for teaching children about the first Thanksgiving. It’s about 35 pages long and uses pictures to get across the message each page is trying to convey. There are wonderful facts and details buried in this book that many of the children’s books don’t include or skip over.
Thanksgiving is for Giving Thanks by Margaret Sutherland
The Reading Railroad books are always at the top of my list simply because they’re always so wholesome for children. Outside of that, they’re chalk full of all the information parents are looking for on a concept. This book is about 24 pages long and teaches children about giving thanks. The focus is less on history and more on the entire meaning of the holiday. Great for ages 3-5.
I Love to Gobble You Up by Sandra Magsamen
The underlying theme of Thanksgiving is being thankful for those you love and showing them that. This book is perfect for ages up to 6, is a hardcover, and shorter. It simply gives you a fun avenue with a Thanksgiving theme to show your little ones just how much you care. It encourages cuddling in a variety of ways that will get your little one drawn into the thankfulness of the holiday as well.
Pete the Cat: The First Thanksgiving by James Dean
Cats are all the rage right now so kids are drawn to them quite often. What better way to teach the history of Thanksgiving by using a cat?! This book is about 16 pages long and us great for ages up to 8. It connects with children by Pete being in a school play about Thanksgiving. He pushes through his fears in order for the show to go on. This book is two-fold in that it teaches children confidence in normal activities and includes a bit of history while it’s at it.
A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving by Daphne Pendergrass
This is a classic and I will never miss an opportunity to introduce my children to such a traditional book. There’s a good reason this book has been around for so long. This story skips history and more so talks about various circumstances that can occur during the holidays, stressful or otherwise. In the end, it shows how we should just be grateful for what we have, no matter what may be going on.
Thanksgiving Activity Book by Karl Jones
This is another way to utilize a book in order to teach children. Not only can they read, but they can color and learn keywords for the holiday as well. This is about 16 pages of activities, all pertaining to the holiday.
Little Critter: Just a Special Thanksgiving by Mercer Mayer
Little Critter has been around for ages and that’s because these books do a glorious job of connecting with children. Not only on tough subjects, but holiday subjects as well. Little Critter and his family have to survive the school play and then give back to their community by making and serving dinner to them all. Such a heartwarming and encouraging book for children to learn from during Thanksgiving. This is always high up on our must read Thanksgiving kids books list.
Gobble Gobble Mad Libs by Roger Price
This one is for your tweens in the household and has around 50 pages of hilarious stories connected to Thanksgiving. Although it’s funny, these stories cover Thanksgiving traditions, the topic of Black Friday, and even how families may prepare and serve their feast.
Pilgrims by Mary Pope Osbourne
This books is around 130 pages of facts. It’s presented through children who have questions in the book. However, it covers all of the facts of how Thanksgiving began and all the details in between. Great for up to 5th grade and covering all of the history behind the holiday.
There are so many favorite Thanksgiving kids books. However, this list is definitely a great one and will get you started for the holiday each year.
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