Best Children's Books for Thanksgiving
November in SoCal means sneaking in the last beach camping trip of the year and reading our favorite books about Thanksgiving and gratitude around the campfire. Weston was rigorous about which ones made the list. Here’s what he picked:
Thankful by @elainebvickers from @simonandschuster | This is a book I look forward to breaking out at this time every year and has inspired an annual tradition in our home of writing something we’re each grateful for on a paper every night at dinner that gets stapled together to form a gratitude chain
Keepunumuk by @danielle_greendeer @alexis.bunten Anthony Perry from @charlesbridgepublishing | This is a great story for kids that shows the indigenous perspective of that first celebration that some call Thanksgiving, but reminding us that it also has other names and traditions associated with it.
Gracias Thanks by Pat Mora from @leeandlow | A beautiful book about all of the things - big and small - we have to be grateful for with every page in both Spanish and English, allowing us to learn along the way
We Are Grateful: Otsaliheliga by Traci Sorell from @charlesbridgepublishing | The word otsaliheliga (oh-jah-LEE-hay-lee-gah) is used by members of the Cherokee Nation to express gratitude. This is an amazing story that describes a journey through the seasons through Cherokee culture, celebrations, and language in a very kid-friendly way.
The Thanksgiving Bowl by Virginia Kroll from @pelicanpub | When Grandma’s special bowl used annually for "I Am Thankful For" lists blows away, it spends a year being of good use to all who encounter it before winding up back in Grandma’s yard just in time for Thanksgiving.
Peyton Picks the Perfect Pie: A Thanksgiving Celebration from @testkitchenkids | This is Weston’s personal favorite, maybe because he’s a little picky and maybe because he loves pie, but I only hope he’ll be as food adventurous as Peyton is determined to be this Thanksgiving
What is Given from the Heart by Patricia C. McKissack from @schwartzandwadebooks | Not technically a Thanksgiving book, but is one of the most poignantly beautiful books about generosity I’ve ever read that also started conversations in our house about perspective on all that we have
Our Table by @peterhreynolds from @orchardbookclub | Also not technically a Thanksgiving-themed book, this sweet story gently points out the impact on screens in modern families and reunites this one for food around a table they build back together
Sophie’s Squash by @patzmill from @randomhousekids | My boys are obsessed with this adorable story about the adventure of a girl named Sophie, her squash named Bernice, their adventures through the fall, and the lesson of new beginnings.
We still have three weeks until Thanksgiving - what should we add to our list?