Ten Thanksgiving Books for Children

The Children’s Book Review
Published: November 26, 2008

Ten children’s books picked for Thanksgiving, baby to teen:

My First Thanksgiving

by Tomie dePaola

Reading level: Baby-Preschool

Board book: 14 pages

Publisher: Grosset & Dunlap (August 14, 2008)

Publisher’s synopsis: The traditional celebration is clearly and simply explained in My First Thanksgiving with spare text and Tomie dePaola’s bright illustrations. A 3-D effect brings the cover artwork to life!

Add this book to your collection: My First Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving is for Giving Thanks

by Margaret Sutherland and Sonja Lamut

Reading level: Baby-Preschool

Paperback: 24 pages

Publisher: Grosset & Dunlap (September 11, 2000)

Synopsis: Sure, 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.

Add this book to your collection: Thanksgiving is for Giving Thanks

Spot’s Thanksgiving

by Eric Hill

Reading level: Baby-Preschool

Board book: 10 pages

Publisher: Putnam Juvenile (August 25, 2003)

Publisher’s synopsis: Spot wants to make the Thanksgiving pie, so Dad gives him his best pumpkin from the garden; Mom helps him make it; Grandma and Grandpa arrive with a pilgrim hat for Spot. A Spot family Thanksgiving is just right for toddlers in a new Spot look – wonderful color backgrounds on every page.

Add this book to your collection: Spot’s Thanksgiving

P is for Pilgrim: A Thanksgiving Alphabet

by Carol Crane

Reading level: Ages 4-8

Paperback: 40 pages

Publisher: Sleeping Bear Press (September 2007)

Publisher’s Synopsis:

“Across the Atlantic Ocean,
a lone ship on a vast sea.
Ablaze with new hope,
all praying to be free.”

From the lives of our early settlers, who established the foundations for American freedoms and ideals, to today’s celebrations, P is for Pilgrim colorfully examines the history and lore of Thanksgiving. Educators will find the inclusion of the Core Democratic Values of valuable use for the classroom while kids of all ages will enjoy the bright, engaging illustrations and fascinating sidebar text.

“Zippy bands zigzagging down the street,
zebras trotting, zeppelin-like balloons afloat.
Flags flying, banners waving,
a Thanksgiving Day Parade playing a happy note.”

Add this book to your collection: P is for Pilgrim: A Thanksgiving Alphabet

The First Thanksgiving Day: A Counting Book

by Laura Krauss Melmed (Author), Mark Buehner (Illustrator)

Reading level: Ages 4-8

Paperback: 32 pages

Publisher: HarperTrophy (September 2, 2003)

Publisher’s synopsis: This rollicking counting story celebrates the very first Thanksgiving Day with vibrant illustrations and lively verse. Follow the Pilgrim and Wampanoag friends as they prepare for a great feast, and along the way look for the bold turkey on every page — and for the very sharp of eye, there are all sorts of surprises hidden in the art!

Add this book to your collection: The First Thanksgiving Day: A Counting Book

I Know an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Pie

by Alison Jackson (Author), Judy Schachner (Illustrator)

Reading level: Ages 4-8

Paperback: 32 pages

Publisher: Puffin (September 16, 2002)

Publisher’s synopsis: I know an old lady who swallowed a pie, a Thanksgiving pie, which was really too dry.

And with that the feast begins! After the pie the old lady swallows a whole squash, all of the salad, and the entire turkey! As Mother and Father watch in shock, the two children are delighted to see the old lady growing fatter and fatter. And, in the end, the old lady makes a surprising and humorous contribution to the holiday festivities.

Add this book to your collection: I Know an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Pie

10 Fat Turkeys

by Tony Johnston (Author), Richard F. Deas (Illustrator)

Reading level: Ages 4-8

Paperback: 32 pages

Publisher: Cartwheel (October 1, 2004)

Publisher’s synopsis: “Looky!” says a silly turkey swinging from a vine. Gobble gobble wibble wobble.Whoops! Now there are nine.

Girls and boys 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. Veteran author Tony Johnston has written a joyful text, which first-time illustrator Richard Deas brings to life as wild and wacky fun!

Add this book to your collection: 10 Fat Turkeys

The Perfect Thanksgiving

by Eileen Spinelli (Author), JoAnn Adinolfi (Illustrator)

Reading level: Ages 4-8

Paperback: 32 pages

Publisher: Square Fish (October 2, 2007)

Publisher’s synopsis: Enter two families who couldn’t be more opposite. Family one seems just perfect—with a plump golden turkey, gorgeous whipped cream swirls atop their pie, and lace napkins on the table. Family two, on the other hand, seems far from it! The turkey burns, the Jell-O wiggles and jiggles right to the floor, and Dad’s shirt serves as napkin. What could these two very different families possibly have in common? Full of whimsy, good spirit, and certainly familial love, this laugh-aloud picture book is sure to add spice to any Thanksgiving feast.

Add this book to your collection: The Perfect Thanksgiving

Over the River: A Turkey’s Tale

by Public Domain (Author), Derek Anderson (Illustrator)

Reading level: Ages 4-8

Hardcover: 40 pages

Publisher: Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing (September 27, 2005)

Publisher’s synopsis: Over the river Mama, Papa, and Baby Turkey embark for their vegetarian Thanksgiving Feast. But when a hungry boy and his dog start sniffing around, the turkeys have got to think fast before they become the main course!

Acclaimed artist Derek Anderson’s glorious autumn artwork adds heaps of holiday humor to Lydia Maria Child’s classic Thanksgiving song. And readers of all ages will be wondering who gobbles up whom until the dessert finale.

Add this book to your collection: Over the River: A Turkey’s Tale

The Mayflower & the Pilgrims’ New World

by Nathaniel Philbrick

Reading level: Ages 9-14

Hardcover: 352 pages

Publisher: Putnam Juvenile (September 4, 2008)

Publisher’s synopsis: In stunning prose, Nathaniel Philbrick evokes the drama of the voyage of the Mayflower and the eerie emptiness of coastal Massachusetts that greeted the Pilgrims. He tells how the settlers were able to gain the friendship of many powerful Native American leaders, including the charismatic Massasoit, and how they worked together to maintain peace. But the promise of the First Thanksgiving was broken with the next generation of leaders. Fifty-six years after the Mayflower’s landing, a horrifying conflict, known today as King Philip’s war, nearly wiped out the colonists and Natives alike, and forever altered the new country.

The Mayflower and the Pilgrims’ New World is the perfect introduction for young readers to this epic story, at once tragic and heroic. Adapted specially for middle-grade readers, this book features a wealth of supplemental materials such as new maps and photographs, a time line, and a list of characters for added comprehension and accessibility.

Add this book to your collection: The Mayflower & the Pilgrims’ New World