Even with the hustle and bustle of the holiday season, we always try to slow down and enjoy lots of quality family time. One of our favorite family traditions is reading holiday books before bed each night. Throughout November, we read our collection of favorite Thanksgiving books for kids.
Reading together provides a great opportunity to reflect and talk with kids about what they are thankful for in advance of the big Thanksgiving feast. It also gives a chance to discuss the origins of the holiday (our list includes some historically accurate Thanksgiving books), and to learn about the different ways that families celebrate the day.
While there are countless cute kids’ books about turkeys, we focused our Thanksgiving book list on stories that will help children understand the season of giving gratitude. Whether you’re looking for a board book, picture book, or a book for an elementary-aged reader, we’ve got you covered!

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Thanksgiving Children's Books
Preschool Books About Thanksgiving
This section contains board books and Thanksgiving picture books for toddlers and preschoolers.
Llama Llama Gives Thanks
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.
Thanksgiving Is for Giving Thanks
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.

Dr. Seuss's Thankful Things
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.
Feast for 10
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!

I Am Thankful
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.
Bear Says Thanks
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.

Thanks for Thanksgiving
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.
Thanksgiving Books for Kindergarten and Early Elementary
These picture books combine engaging illustrations with more in-depth text that's appropriate for kids in kindergarten through early elementary school.
Squanto's Journey: The Story of the First Thanksgiving
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.
Duck for Turkey Day
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.

Thanksgiving Is . . .
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.
Balloons over Broadway
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.

Thank You, Sarah: The Woman Who Saved Thanksgiving
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.

We Are Grateful: Otsaliheliga
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.
Cranberry Thanksgiving
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.
Sharing the Bread: An Old-Fashioned Thanksgiving Story
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).

We Gather Together
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.
Thanks a Million
by Nikki Grimes
This collection of poems written all about gratitude and thankfulness fills this book. It's a great reminder for us all!
The Wampanoag
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.
Thanksgiving Chapter Books
These chapter books are perfect for early through late elementary-aged readers, and also make great Thanksgiving read-aloud books for classrooms and families.
Thanksgiving on Thursday
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.

Molly's Pilgrim
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.

Turkeys We Have Loved and Eaten (and Other Thankful Stuff)
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.

Mayflower Treasure Hunt
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.
What Was the First Thanksgiving?
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.
More Thanksgiving-Themed Books for Kids
Our book list above features books that focus on gratitude, history, and traditions. However, there are many other books worth considering if you just want a fun holiday read:
- MORE BOOKS ABOUT THANKSGIVING FOR PRESCHOOLERS:
- Pete the Cat: The First Thanksgivingby Kimberly and James Deas
- There Was an Old Lady who Swallowed a Turkey and I Know an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Pie by Alison Jackson
- Turkey Trouble by Wendi Silvano
- Arthur’s Thanksgiving by Marc Brown
- MORE EARLY ELEMENTARY THANKSGIVING BOOKS:
- Tom’s Special Thanksgiving Day by Alan Matkovic
- Amelia Bedelia Talks Turkey by Herman Parish
- Twas the Night Before Thanksgiving by Dave Pilkey
- Pinkalicious Thanksgiving Helper by Victoria Kann
- The Trip to the Pumpkin Farm (Owl Diaries #11) by Rebecca Elliott
- MORE THANKSGIVING THEMED CHAPTER BOOKS:
- Dr. Carbles is Losing His Marbles (My Weird School #19) by Ban Gutman
- The Candy Corn Contest (The Kids of Polk Street School) by Patricia Reilly Giff
- Trouble on the National Mall (Capital Mysteries #11) by Ron Roy
- Nate the Great Talks Turkey by Marjorie Weinman Sharmat
- Pumpkin War by Cathleen Young
Now that you have plenty of kid’s books about Thanksgiving, head over to pick out a book for yourself from our list of the best Thanksgiving books for adults!
Happy Thanksgiving and happy reading!

Best Thanksgiving Books for Adults - Book Girls' Guide
Tuesday 5th of October 2021
[…] covered Thanksgiving books for kids last year, but realized adults often want to read holiday-themed books as well. Or maybe […]