Are you looking for Thanksgiving picture books to share with your children this holiday season? Here is a lovely selection that will demonstrate gratitude, show kindheartedness, and explain the rich traditions of Thanksgiving.
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Tikvah Means Hope
by Patricia Polacco
As always, Patricia Polacco pulls at the heartstrings in her touching tale of hope in the midst of adversity. When a fire threatens the safety and security of Oakland, CA, on the eve of Sukkoth, the Jewish festival of thanksgiving, it looks like all is lost. But maybe there is hope after all—both for the Roth family and for a lost cat named Tikvah.
Cranberry Thanksgiving
by Wende and Harry Devlin
It’s Thanksgiving Day in Cranberryport. When Grandmother tells Maggie that she can invite someone “poor or lonely” to share their Thanksgiving dinner, Maggie invites her unkempt friend Mr. Whiskers to join them. But can Mr. Whiskers win over Maggie’s wary grandmother and earn a piece of her famous cranberry bread in the process?
Goody O’Grumpity
by Carol Ryrie Brink
As the scrumptious aroma of citron, cinnamon bark, and nutmeg waft out over the village, it draws the attention of Goody O’Grumpity’s neighbors. With mouths watering, children come from all over town, hoping for a taste of the spicy goodness of Goody’s cake. And of course Goody never disappoints her friends!
Thankful
by Eileen Spinelli
Eileen Spinelli’s sweet rhyming picture book is a great reminder that everyone has something to be thankful for. A beekeeper is thankful for bees, while a crafter is glad he has glue. Colorful illustrations and easy rhyming text offer a whimsical take on the idea that life is full of simple joys and lots and lots of things to be thankful for.
Thank You, Sarah:
The Woman Who Saved Thanksgiving
by Laurie Halse Anderson
Have you ever wondered how Thanksgiving Day became a national holiday? This picture book tells the true story of Sarah Josepha Hale’s dream and how it brought a divided nation together to celebrate its beginnings—and turned Thanksgiving into what it is today.
Squanto’s Journey:
The Story of the First Thanksgiving
by Joseph Bruchac
Read about the true story of Squanto and his very first interactions with the European settlers of the new world. After being kidnapped and taken to England, Squanto manages to return to his homeland—just in time to help the Pilgrims survive their first winter in their new home.
Sarah Morton’s Day:
A Day in the Life of a Pilgrim Girl
by Kate Waters
In Sarah Morton’s Day, Kate Waters leads readers through the daily joys and struggles of a young pilgrim girl living on the Plimoth Plantation. Beautiful photographs give readers a glimpse of what life might have looked like for a family living and working during the earliest days of a yet-to-be-formed nation.
Sharing the Bread:
An Old-Fashioned Thanksgiving Story
by Pat Zietlow Miller
Perfectly rendered illustrations provide the ideal complement to Pat Zietlow Miller’s sweet tribute to Thanksgiving. In this wonderful story, an old-fashioned family works together to put on a meal…but it’s not just any meal! It’s Thanksgiving, and on this special day everyone in the family helps make sure that this is a meal to remember.
This First Thanksgiving Day:
A Counting Story
by Laura Krauss Melmed
Laura Krauss Melmed’s picture book is a great little history lesson, but that’s not all. Engaging rhyme makes it an ideal read-aloud for preschoolers, and it’s also a wonderful counting book, from “1 dressed in linen” to “12 tables groaning beneath a harvest spread.” This warmly illustrated picture book is the perfect mix of learning and fun!
Hardscrabble Harvest
by Dahlov Ipcar
With sweet watercolor illustrations, lilting rhyme, and a touch of humor, Dahlov Ipcar follows a farmer through the seasons, from planting in spring to a bountiful Thanksgiving feast. You’ll quickly discover that if the farmer wants to enjoy his harvest, he’s got his work cut out for him.
Llama Llama Gives Thanks
by Anna Dewdney
If you’re looking for the perfect Thanksgiving picture book for your littlest readers, try this wonderful book from Anna Dewdney’s acclaimed Llama Llama series! Follow along with Llama Llama and his family as they prepare to enjoy a celebration of gratitude with their friends.
Turkey Trouble
by Wendi Silvano
Turkey is going to have to do some quick thinking or Thanksgiving will not be a very happy day for him. If you were a turkey and you didn’t want to be recognized, what would you do? But no matter what Turkey does, someone always recognizes him. Can Turkey find his way out of his predicament?
A Turkey for Thanksgiving
by Eve Bunting
Mr. Moose is determined to find a turkey for his wife for Thanksgiving. All his friends gather to help him—but when they find one, the turkey runs away! Can Mr. Moose convince the turkey that he’s wanted as a guest and not as the main course?
A Plump and Perky Turkey
by Teresa Bateman
The people of Squawk Valley want a turkey for Thanksgiving, but there are none to be found—the turkeys have all gone into hiding! But the resourceful citizens hatch a plan to catch a turkey, a plan so clever no turkey can help falling for it … or so they think.
Thanks for Thanksgiving
by Julie Markes
If you’d like to encourage gratefulness in your children this Thanksgiving, this rhyming picture book is a great place to start! Let your kids explore all the things to be thankful for. There’s even a place for kids to write their own thankful thoughts.
Turk and Runt
by Lisa Wheeler
Turk is the biggest, roundest turkey on the farm, and his parents are sure he’s being primed for a great future. But Turk’s little brother Runt thinks he knows what’s really going on. Runt is determined to save his brother from the roasting pan—but can a tiny turkey save the day?
Bear Says Thanks
by Karma Wilson
Bear is bored. He wants to invite his forest friends to join him for a wonderful dinner, but he is distressed (and a bit embarrassed) to discover that his cupboards are bare. But that doesn’t matter to Bear’s friends. The generosity of their gifts and Bear’s gratitude shine from every page of this sweet book.
Thanksgiving in the Woods
by Phyllis Alsdurf
Based on the author’s own memories of family Thanksgivings, this enchanting picture book tells the story of a memorable Thanksgiving dinner—out in the middle of a forest! Friends and family from all over town gather together to prepare a very special back-to-nature celebration.
Thanku: Poems of Gratitude
Edited by Miranda Paul
In this beautiful anthology, Miranda Paul gathers an eclectic mix of poets and poetry that finds unity in heartfelt expressions of thanks. Thanku is a celebration of gratitude for “Falling Leaves,” “The Perfect Rock,” “Dimples,” “Autumn by the Sea” (by our own editor Renée LaTulippe?), and much more.
Milly and the Macy’s Parade
by Shana Corey
Milly is a young immigrant who loves the heritage of her Polish past and the promise of her American future. But all around her Milly sees homesick immigrants who desperately need something to celebrate. Then Milly has an idea, but can Mr. Macy help make Milly’s dream a reality?
Thanks a Million
by Nikki Grimes
What are you thankful for? In this delightful collection of colorful and creative poems, Nikki Grimes takes her readers on a journey of gratitude that will evoke both laughter and tears. But more than anything, Thanks a Million is a great reminder that you can always find something to be thankful for.
Balloons Over Broadway: The True Story of the Puppeteer of Macy’s Parade
by Melissa Sweet
Even as a boy, Tony Sarg was fascinated by marionettes, and that interest eventually came in handy! In Balloons Over Broadway, Caldecott Honor-winner Melissa Sweet tells the true story of “America’s Puppet Master” and the first “upside-down puppets” to float above the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade.
Thanksgiving Day at Our House: Thanksgiving Poems for the Very Young
by Nancy White Carlstrom
Written and illustrated with tenderness and humor, this book of poetry for young children is the perfect Thanksgiving read-aloud. With poems to sing and poems to play, poems about history and poems about family, silly poems, and prayerful poems, this collection of Thanksgiving verse will be loved by the whole family.
Would you like to read some of my favorite Thanksgiving picture books with your children? Click to download our list to take to your local library.
Looking for MORE books? You can find more great library lists here!
Do you have a favorite picture book about Thanksgiving? Please share it in the comments below and I’ll add it to our Readers’ Picks box!
C.W
says:Thank you! I found a new one that we will enjoy.
Robin
says: Customer ServiceYou’re welcome, C.W.
KB
says:Wow! Thank you for all of these Thanksgiving book recommendations.
Robin
says: Customer ServiceYou’re very welcome!
Bethany Dickinson
says:I have very fond memories of Cranberry Thanksgiving! I love the illustrations and remember my dad reading it to us as children! My kids also love it!
Robin
says: Customer ServiceBethany,
One of the absolute joys of parenting is sharing books I loved as a child with my own children! So wonderful to hear that Cranberry Thanksgiving was one of these titles for you.
Heather
says:These are some of our favorite books! Especially a Plump and Perky Turkey and The Thanksgiving Table.
Robin
says: Customer ServiceThank you, Heather!
Susan
says:Thank you!
Robin
says: Customer ServiceYou’re welcome, Susan!
Mallory
says:I’ve been looking for some good Thanksgiving books, thank you!!
Robin
says: Customer ServiceYou’re welcome, Mallory! Glad these are helpful!
Karina
says:I love all of your book recommendations. However, is there a way that you could corollate the books to each reading level? Or do you have a different list for that? Thanks
Robin
says: Customer ServiceKarina,
This and our bother book review blog posts are suggestions for books for you to read aloud to your child.
We do keep a document of titles that go along well with each level of All About Reading. If you email us at support@allaboutlearningpress.com, we’ll be happy to share it with you!
Beatrice
says:Can’t wait to check out some of these Thanksgiving books!
Mary Jo McElhose
says:Thanksgiving at the Tappletons’
Robin
says: Customer ServiceThank you for the recommendation, Mary Jo.
Candice M
says:Our family favorite picture book was noted in your list. Bear Says Thanks has been a long time favorite of ours.
Robin
says: Customer ServiceThank you for the recommendation, Candice! It is such a sweet book.
Sharon Steinherz
says:They look like enjoyable books that teach appreciation of Thanksgiving.
Robin
says: Customer ServiceThank you, Sharon!
Ashley
says:Thank you for these! We love read alouds!
Robin
says: Customer ServiceYou’re so welcome, Ashley!
Julie S
says:Such a helpful list. Thanks!
christina
says:Can’t wait to share this with my daughter!
Allison
says:Thank you for the helpful list! I see a few of our favorites and some we’ve never read. I’m excited to get some new books for Thanksgiving for my kids!
Lindsey Neuman
says:This is an awesome list to go check out at the library! Thank you for all the additional resources you are always providing. Loving your curriculum for my oldest daughter who has dyslexia and my 4 year old son has been participating and is reading phenomenally already!
Robin
says: Customer ServiceYou are so welcome, Lindsey! It’s wonderful to hear that the curriculum is working so well for your family!
Christine R.
says:All About Reading has helped my child jump over the learning obstacles she had before. This is our third reading program, and the one that has made the difference! Thanks, AAR, for your help and your brilliant program! I love that you have fun, themed printables to make the learning process novel and also your themed book lists which make the read aloud time a joy and memorable for the whole family. Thank you!!
Sarah
says:Thank you for this great list!
Jane Wright
says:Thank you for this list! I’m excited to read them with my kids, especially Run, Turkey, Run!
Robin
says: Customer ServiceYou’re welcome, Jane! Enjoy!
Jennifer
says:Great list of thanksgiving books!
Robin
says: Customer ServiceThank you!
Amy
says:We love the Bear and Llama books! Will have to look into all of the others. Thanks for a great list!
Renee
says:We love Thanks for Thanksgiving and Bear Says Thanks! Can’t wait to look into several others listed here! Thank you for such a great list, its by far the biggest list I have seen so far to go through.
Robin
says: Customer ServiceWonderful, Renee! I hope you find lots of other titles to love too!
Jeanette
says:I’ll have to look some of these titles up and see if we can gather them up for read aloud time! My little reader has been doing level 1 for the last 5 months and he’s been ASKING to read books!!
Robin
says: Customer ServiceWonderful, Jeanette! It sounds like your child is making great progress!
Ashtyne M.
says:Thanks for the resources! So helpful!
Hannah R
says:Thank you for the resources! So great.
Anita
says:Thanks for the list. Makes a teacher’s job a little easier.
sara McCosham
says:Love the book suggestions, Turkey Trouble has been a favorite this year.
Nicole Ikeda
says:Love these book lists. Thanks!
Samantha
says:“A Day in the Life of a Pilgrim Boy/Girl” books work really well in an American History unit too. I had my son read those last year and they were very informative. I’ll have to look for “Bear Says Thanks”. We’ve read one of the others and my little guy really enjoyed it.
Robin
says: Customer ServiceMy children loved the “Pilgrim Boy” and “Pilgrim Girl” books when they were little, Samantha.
Tirza Ellesson
says:Thanksgiving is one of our favorite holidays! Adding some picture books is such a great way to create lasting family memories. Thanks for sharing such a big list.
Robin
says: Customer ServiceYou’re welcome, Tirza!
Tirza Ellesson
says:Thanksgiving is one of our favorite holidays! Adding some great picture books is such a great way to create lasting family memories. Thanks for sharing such a big list of Thanksgiving picture books.