The Best Thanksgiving Books for Kids of All Ages

by Anna Dewdney

Preschoolers love Llama Llama! This seasonal book helps children learn to recognize the details and the blessings in their lives and helps them learn to be thankful. Plus, the rhyming makes this book fun for both parents and kids to read!

Families may also want to check out the Llama Llama Netflix series. The Thanksgiving episode is titled Llama Llama Thanks-for-Giving Day.

by Margaret Sutherland

We all can use a little reminder that this holiday is not just about turkey, it's about giving thanks! The simple text and cheerful illustrations in this Thanksgiving story for kids will help them to recognize and appreciate the everyday things, not just in November, but all year round.

by Dr. Seuss

In this rhyming board book, Thing 1 and Thing 2 celebrate all that there is to be thankful for - from games to play and pie, to each other.

by Cathryn Falwell

While this isn't actually a Thanksgiving book, it is a lovely book about a family shopping, cooking, and eating a big dinner together. This book focuses on the family working together and counting ingredients.

Five Silly Turkey's is another excellent counting board book for Thanksgiving!

by Sheri Wall

This picture book follows three families as they celebrate the holiday with their own traditions, acts of kindness, and ways of giving back.

by Karma Wilson

The charming illustrations and rhymes bring to life this heartwarming story about friendship and the value of each member of the community. Young children will enjoy participating in the giving of thanks as it repeats throughout the book.

by Julie Markes

When it comes to giving thanks, sometimes it's hard to know where to start. This book helps young kids get into the Thanksgiving spirit by helping them identify both the big and small things that make each day enjoyable. It even includes a place for kids to write their own thankful thoughts right in the book.

by Joseph Bruchac

Told from Squanto's point of view, this historically accurate Thanksgiving book tells the story from the Native American perspective. Filled with vivid details and beautiful illustrations, this story is one of the most important you can add to your collection.

by Jacqueline Jules

Tuyet is excited about the upcoming holiday, but her Vietnamese American family is having duck for Thanksgiving dinner instead of turkey. She worries about what the other kids will think of her family's unique tradition. But when she returns to school, she discovers that lots of kids eat different foods for their Thanksgiving feast - everything from roast beef and lamb to enchiladas. In this story, kids will learn that there's no "right way" to celebrate this American holiday.

by Gail Gibbons

This book explains the history of this holiday while keeping the focus on gratitude. It traces the Pilgrims' journey on the Mayflower through to the first big meal, as well as the traditions that have evolved over time.

by Melissa Sweet

Do you know the story behind the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade balloons?  This beautifully illustrated book tells the story of Tony Sarg, the puppeteer who first invented the "upside-down puppets" that delight children and adults alike each November.

If you spend time watching the parade with your family on Thanksgiving morning, this is a great chance to learn the history behind it.

by Laurie Halse Anderson

Although Thanksgiving dates back to the 1600s, by the 1800s fewer people were observing the season of giving thanks. This book tells the true story of a "lady editor" named Sarah, who spent 35 years petitioning it to become an official national holiday. It was Abraham Lincoln that finally signed the proclamation.

In addition to lobbying for national holiday status, Sarah also rewrote the "recipe" for Thanksgiving and created many of the traditions that we still observe today.

Also consider Sarah Gives Thanks by Mike Allegra, which also tells the story of Sarah's dedication to creating a national holiday.

by Traci Sorrell

Rather than being about the Thanksgiving holiday, this book focuses on the Cherokee word otsaliheliga, which is used to give thanks. The book follows a traditional Cherokee year, beginning in the fall. It's a great look at modern Native American life and the tribe's longstanding traditions of gratitude.

Traci Sorrell is an enrolled citizen of the Cherokee Nation who lives in the tribe's reservation in northeastern Oklahoma. She's written numerous other children's book, including We Are Still Here!: Native American Truths Everyone Should Know and Powwow Day.

by Wende and Harry Devlin

This book is a bit of a throwback that some parents may remember reading as kids, but its messages of not judging others by their appearance and practicing forgiveness are timeless and perfect for reflection and discussion.

As an added bonus, you'll find the cranberry bread recipe "hidden" in the book.

by Pat Zietlow Miller

Set at the turn of the 20th century, this sweet story celebrates the traditions of an old-fashioned Thanksgiving. The story of this large family working together to prepare the meal is told in rhythmic verse with beautiful illustrations from Jill McElmurry (the illustrator of Little Blue Truck).

by Wendy Pfeffer

Rather than focusing just on Thanksgiving, this book celebrates the harvest season that begins in late September of each year. Incorporating both science and social studies concepts, this book looks at the weather, includes lots of historical facts, and examines the cultural traditions surrounding the fall equinox.

by Nikki Grimes

This collection of poems written all about gratitude and thankfulness fills this book.  It's a great reminder for us all!

by Kevin Cunningham

In order to understand the true history of Thanksgiving, we need to learn the true history of the Native American people that inhabited New England in the 1600s.  This book provides a historical look at the culture and history of the Wampanoag people who the pilgrims likely encountered.

by Mary Pope Osborne

This is book #27 in the Magic Tree House Series, and while we recommend you read them ALL, they can easily be enjoyed out of order. Travel with siblings Jack and Annie back to the first Thanksgiving for an in-depth and exciting look at what life was really like for early settlers.

For young readers who want to learn even more, we suggest the non-fiction companion Thanksgiving on Thursday, the Magic Tree House Fact Tracker all about Pilgrims.

by Barbara Cohen

This is the story of a young Russian-Jewish immigrant. As she nears her first Thanksgiving in America, she struggles to feel thankful because she feels that she doesn't fit in. But as the holiday draws near, she discovers that she can identify with the Pilgrims because her family also them their home in search of religious freedom.

Although this book was first published nearly 40 years ago, reviewers say that it was ahead. It provides a touching reminder that it takes all kids of pilgrims to make a Thanksgiving.

by Barbara Park

This is book #28 in the popular and hilarious Junnie B. Jones series. In this story, there's a school competition to see which classroom can write the best thankful list... but being thankful turns out to be harder than it sounds.

by Ron Roy

In this special edition in the A to Z Mysteries series, the kids are spending Thanksgiving in Plymouth, Massachusetts. They can't wait to enjoy and old fashioned Thanksgiving feast. But when the kids learn about a sapphire necklace that went missing on the real Mayflower, they set out to solve a 400-year-old mystery.

Mystery-loving kids will also enjoy November Night by the same author, which is #11 in the Calendar Mysteries series.

by Joan Holub

The "What Was/Who Was/Where Is" series is full of great books that provide kids with a wonderful introduction to non-fiction topics with just the right balance of illustrations, stories, and facts. In this book about the first Thanksgiving, the history of the holiday really comes to life.