Thanksgiving Book Recommendations

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Oh, my goodness where did November go? Next week is Thanksgiving! I am so not ready, there are still a million things on my to-do list. I am very thankful that we decided to do Thanksgiving dinner potluck style. My husband and I are in charge of the turkey and appetizers, but that’s it!

I love Thanksgiving, it is one of my favorite holidays. I love the family, the closeness, and especially the food. This is M’s first Thanksgiving and I am super excited for everyone to hang out with him and just be together as a family. It’s so nice to slow down and just enjoy everyone’s company.

We’ve been reading to M a lot about Thanksgiving and turkeys. Of course, this is more for us than for him. But I wanted to share some of my favorite Thanksgiving and turkey books. This holiday is a little tricky to find good books, compared to holidays like Christmas. I would love to hear what your favorite Thanksgiving and turkey books are.

9 Thanksgiving Picture Books

 10 Fat Turkeys by Tony Johnston – M and I were walking the aisles of Target when we found this book. It is a silly little rhyming book, that doesn’t talk about turkeys being Thanksgiving dinner. Also, the illustrations are really good for such a short story. We bought the board book version but they have a paperback version too.

 This Little Turkey by Aly Fronis – If you like the classic “This Little Pig” you will love this story. This board book is short but super cute for Thanksgiving. All the turkeys are getting ready for Thanksgiving so they have lots of work to do. One goes to the market, one sweeps the floor, one draws pictures, one knits a sweater, and one sets the table. They wish you a Happy Thanksgiving once everything is complete. Another nice one for younger kids.

 There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Turkey! by Lucille Colandro – I love The Little Old Woman Who… books. Once your child has heard one they are very repetitive. Repetitive stories are so good for kids because they help teach pattern and rhythm, an important pre-reading skill. If you like this book, you might also like I Know an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Pie by Alison Jackson.

 Turk and Runt: A Thanksgiving Comedy by Lisa Wheeler – I borrowed this book from the library and was making dinner while my husband was reading it to M. This book is really funny. Runt knows the truth of what happens on Thanksgiving, but no one listens to him. His comments had my husband laughing…It’s funny because it’s true. This book would be good for older kids who can pick up on the humor of them being turkeys and not understanding what happens at Thanksgiving.

 Bear Says Thanks by Karma Wilson – I love the Bear Books. They are so sweet. This one is no exception. Bear is all alone in his cave, bored and missing his friends. So he decides to share a feast he’s made as a way of saying thanks. It is a great message.

 Thanks for Thanksgiving by Julie Markes – This is another book about giving thanks on Thanksgiving, but even more than that. I love the message of this book. Everyone knows you are supposed to be Thankful on Thanksgiving, but there are so many things to be thankful for like the yummy turkey, cozy snuggles, and other bigger and smaller things, but the number one most important thing is being with family.

 One Is a Feast for Mouse: A Thanksgiving Tale by Judy Cox – Such a cute story. The mouse wants to have 1 tiny leftover pea from the families Thanksgiving dinner…But he sees all the yummy leftovers and gets a little of this and a little of that… But will he be able to get back to his house with all that food?

 This First Thanksgiving Day by Laura Melmed – No Thanksgiving book list would be complete without a story about the first Thanksgiving. I like this book because it’s a counting book. You can count along with the pilgrim and Native American children as they get ready for the first Thanksgiving. I like this book because it doesn’t go into too much history of the holiday so it is perfect for younger kids.

 Balloons over Broadway by Melissa Sweet – Last but not least. If you love history and the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, you will love this book. It is a biography so great for older kids. But it is amazing! I love the story of how the parade got started and the illustrations are amazing! Even though it is a little more advanced this will definitely make it into the annual Thanksgiving books.

Have you read any of these books? What is your favorite Thanksgiving book? I would love to hear about yours, Thanksgiving books are kind of hard to find good ones, so leave a comment and let me know what books you and your family enjoy during this time of year.