Thanksgiving is a time to celebrate and be thankful for so many things! Celebrating with family and friends is one way to be thankful. However, there are so many ways that we can teach our kids to be thankful too.
Thanksgiving is such a fun time for our family. We have foods that are unique for Thanksgiving and spend all day together as a family eating, expressing what we are thankful for and then looking at the Black Friday sales!
The morning of we try to have a small breakfast and get the food in the oven as early as possible. Our family eats around noon or 1pm or so. We watch the Macy’s Day Parade and just spend time together. At this time we like to make desserts or another Thanksgiving treat!
We also love to read special books with our kids and do a craft. This helps to pass the time, but also keeps us all actively engaged in time together – something that we try to be intentional about as time flies!
This Thanksgiving Gratitude Wreath craft is a fun one for you and your kids to do together! Print out this adorable Thanksgiving Gratitude Wreath and allow everyone to write something they’re grateful for on a leaf. This easily becomes a great decor item too!
In addition to a craft, we also love to read books! I’ve rounded up some of my favorite Thanksgiving books for kids and hope that you’ll take a look at them!
30 Thanksgiving Books for Kids
Spend time together as a family this Thanksgiving season curled up with one or more of these Thanksgiving books for kids!
Thanksgiving books for kids teach us about coming together with our loved ones and to give thanks for all that we have. I Am Thankful is an adorable, rhyming storybook that follows three different families as they celebrate the holiday with their own traditions, acts of kindness, and ways of giving back.
Everyone’s favorite fun-filled, family-filled, food-filled holiday is almost here! Follow along as the feast is prepared, cousins are greeted, and everyone gathers around the table, all with an extra helping of holiday fun. This family fun read-aloud makes the perfect gift to get young readers excited for this festive fall holiday!
Children will gobble up this hilarious story about ten goofy turkeys and their silly antics: swinging from a vine, strutting on a boar, doing a noodle dance, and more! Beloved author Tony Johnston brings a lively energy to the text, which first-time illustrator Richard Deas brings to life as wild and wacky fun!
A turkey is running loose in a school right before a Thanksgiving play. Can YOU help catch it so the show can go on? Follow along as students turn their school upside down trying to catch the turkey, ending with a twist that ensures no turkeys are harmed (or eaten!). This hilariously zany children's picture book combines STEAM concepts and traps with a silly story and fun illustrations, perfect for starting a new fall family tradition this autumn or giving as a Thanksgiving gift for kids ages 4 and up!
From the school play to a surprise dinner for all of Critterville, celebrate along with Little Critter and his family as they give thanks this holiday. Starring Mercer Mayer's classic, loveable character, Little Critter: Just a Special Thanksgiving is a funny Thanksgiving book for kids that's sure to be a hit.
Starring in your school’s Thanksgiving play would make even the coolest cat nervous, including Pete the Cat! But the show must go on….
It's Thanksgiving and this time the Old Lady is swallowing a turkey, a ball, a hat, a balloon, a boat, some wheels, and a horn of plenty! With hilarious illustrations and a lively rhyme, this is sure to become a seasonal favorite!
When Peppermint Patty invites herself (and most of her friends) to Charlie Brown’s house for Thanksgiving dinner, Charlie Brown reluctantly agrees to make a holiday feast even though he can barely make toast and cold cereal! Can he pull together a memorable meal, or will he and his friends just be grateful when it’s over?
Biscuit has so much to be thankful for on his first Thanksgiving. How will he and the little girl spend this special day?
Pull back the flaps to find out!
It’s Thanksgiving! Join Mom and her little Pookie as they prepare for the yummiest of holidays. Told and illustrated with Sandra Boynton’s celebrated charm, Pookie’s Thanksgiving is filled with a cornucopia of family, gratitude, and pie!
Join Marshall, Skye, Rubble, and the rest of Nickelodeon's heroic pups as they celebrate all the special things they're thankful for. Boys and girls ages 0 to 3 will love this sturdy board book that's perfect for Thanksgiving—or anytime!
From the dangerous voyage across the Atlantic to the first harsh winter to the delicious Thanksgiving feast, all the excitement and wonder of the Pilgrims' first year in America is captured in this vivid retelling for the youngest historians. Colorful and appealing illustrations bring history to life!
Turkey is in trouble. Bad trouble. The kind of trouble where it's almost Thanksgiving . . . and you're the maincourse. But Turkey has an idea--what if he doesn't look like a turkey? What if he looks like another animal instead?
Every year a family and their friends gather in the woods to celebrate Thanksgiving among the trees. Everyone brings something to share and the day becomes a long celebration of family, faith, and friendship. Told in a gentle, lyrical style, this picture book includes warm illustrations of people gathered around bonfires and long tables adorned with candles and food, singing songs and sharing laughter.
In this heartwarming story, Taylor teaches kids the true meaning of thankfulness - it's not just about appreciating what you have, but also expressing gratitude towards others. By embracing this valuable lesson, children will boost their self-esteem, gain confidence, and radiate positivity.
In Llama Llama Gives Thanks, it's Thanksgiving time for Llama Llama and his family! That means yummy foods and autumn leaves and being thankful for everything from pumpkin pies to blue skies. Thanksgiving may only come once year, but in Llama's family, giving thanks is always here!
Thanksgiving is about pilgrims and history--and turkey, of course!--but most importantly, it's a holiday all about everything that we are thankful for. Cheerful, colorful illustrations accompany the simple text in this celebration of family, friends, and the holiday that brings them all together. A great introduction to the concept of giving thanks and appreaciating every day things.
Elmo and his parents have invited all their friends over for a special Thanksgiving meal. But the party was supposed to be outside, and it's raining! Elmo is disappointed until he takes a walk around Sesame Street and learns from friends including Oscar, Abby Cadabby, Bert, and Ernie that there are so many things to be thankful for—including rain! Children ages 2 to 5 will be thankful for this sweet new Little Golden Book. It's the perfect read-aloud to share on Thanksgiving, or any day you want to feel thankful!
Meet the master puppeteer who invented the first balloons for the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. Melissa Sweet brings to life the inspirational story of the puppeteer who invented the giant balloons floating in the sky during the annual parade celebrating Thanksgiving. The Caldecott Honor artist brilliantly captures the essence of Tony Sarg, a self-taught immigrant with a fascinating imagination.
This Berenstain Bears story is a perfect way to teach children about what they should truly be thankful for. Come for a visit in Bear Country with this classic from Stan and Jan Berenstain. It's November, and the Bear family are entering the Thanksgiving Festival's Big Pumpkin Contest. Will winning be the only thing that matters, or will the Bear family learn about the true meaning of Thanksgiving?
Bear has come up with the perfect way to say thanks—a nice big dinner! When Bear decides to throw a feast, his friends show up one by one with different platters of delicious food to share. There’s just one problem: Bear’s cupboards are bare! What is he to do?
Join the Berenstain Bears as they explore the value of being thankful in The Berenstain Bears Thanksgiving Blessings. It’s Thanksgiving Day and the cubs could not be more excited for pie, roast turkey, and all the trimmings. But Mama reminds them that there are more important things to be thankful for beyond the feast. Papa joins in and teaches the cubs about the many sacrifices that Bears made before them, so that they all can enjoy freedom, faith, and family today! Children will discover ways to act out traditional religious values and share God’s goodness in Zonderkidz The Berenstain Bears Living Lights™ series of books.
If animals gave thanks . . .what would they do? Raccoon would chir-chirrrr thanks for her cub. Crow would loop and swoop in the sky. And Bear would invite his friends to a bountiful feast. Across the animal kingdom, every creature would be grateful for food, family, and being together.
Sammy and turkey have plans for a wonderful Thanksgiving feast. But there's one BIG problem—turkey has been taken! Will Sammy find and rescue turkey before it's too late? Read the book to find out!
It's Thanksgiving day and guess what yummy food is on the menu? Turkey, of course! But Sammy tries to save the turkey from being eaten. Will this little red bird succeed? Read the book to find out!
Happy Thanksgiving...or not...
because this is The WORST Thanksgiving Book in the Whole Entire World! Poor Nameless finds himself in another one of the Worst books and he is no fan of Thanksgiving! Who is this mysterious turkey on the cover? Is Jerry Pumpkins back?? Is there really a chicken in this book???
It's Thanksgiving Day! A special turkey dinner is planned but our little bird friend has one really big problem—the turkey is missing! This red bird needs your help in locating the turkey before it's too late. Will the bird find the turkey in time or will the day end up being a big disappointment? Read along as you and your child will once again enjoy the silly antics of this quirky bird!
Grunt the Grizzly was a grumpy bear. He woke up on the wrong side of the bed, his fur was a mess, and his breakfast was cold. What else could go wrong?
Grunt's grumpiness was making him miserable! Can his motto help him see past the negative and focus on the positive?
Is it really possible to be THANKFL ALL YEAR? Not just on Thanksgiving!!! Join A Little Thankful SPOT in a very funny book about Thanksgiving!
The Thankful Pumpkin is a cute picture book about a pumpkin expressing her thanks to the things around her that help her grow and make her happy. It's a perfect Thanksgiving book for teaching children about the importance of being thankful and appreciating the little things in our daily lives.