The Best Thanksgiving Books for Children

There are lots of lists for Christmas books, but not as many for Thanksgiving Books. To often we gloss over this holiday when it really has so much to offer. These Thanksgiving books are some of my very favorite. Most of them involve pilgrims because my mom loves the pilgrims and these are the books she read to us when we were growing up! Have any to add to my list? Leave a comment with them!

Molly’s Pilgrim by Barbara Cohen – Molly and her family moved to America from Russia to escape religious persecution. Molly has a hard time in school because the kids make fun of her accent and she doesn’t want her mom to come to school because of her broken English. When Molly is given an assignment to make a pilgrim doll to celebrate Thanksgiving, Molly is mortified when her mom makes the doll look like a little Russian girl but both Molly and her class mates soon learn that not all pilgrims came on the Mayflower. I absolutely LOVE this book. It is a wonderful book to teach your children about Pilgrims.

Plimoth Plantation a Pictorial Guide– If you are looking for a book to teach your kids about the pilgrims, this is a great one. It has reenactment photos of the pilgrims and Indians photographed in actual Plimoth plantation, along with details of what life was like. My daughter loved reading all the different tidbits.

Oh, What a Thanksgiving by Steven Kroll- It is Thanksgiving time but David isn’t excited. He wishes he was back in the time of the first Thanksgiving in Plymouth. Oh how exciting the first Thanksgiving would be! Then he learns that both Thanksgiving then and now are wonderful because they are about gratitude.

 

Thankful Together by Holly Davis– The sweet story of a mama and baby squirrel going about a normal day while the mama teaches the squirrel to be thankful for each aspect such as the food they eat and the clothes they wear. It is the perfect book for teaching gratitude to you children this Thanksgiving season. It does have religious tones so it would work great for any family that believes in a higher being.

If you sailed on the Mayflower in 1620 by Ann McGovern– This book is fantastic for answering questions kids might have about the Mayflower and the Pilgrims, like what they ate on the Mayflower. What happened if you got in trouble on the Mayflower? What did the Pilgrims wear? What did Squanto teach the Pilgrims? It is written in an easy to understand format with lots of pictures!

 

Anne Hutchinson’s Way by Jeannine Atkins– When Anne Hutchinson brought her family to Massachusetts, several years after the original pilgrims, she was looking for religious freedom. She soon discovered the new world wasn’t as free as she hoped. While the minister preached hell fire and brimstone Anne Hutchinson preached kindness and love. When she refused to stop preaching and give up what she believed, she was banished from the Massachusetts Bay colony. She left and continued to teach her children to love and provide relief to everyone. Anne Hutchinson’s Way is a fabulous book to read to your kids this Thanksgiving about the troubles in the new world and about treating everyone with kindness.

Sarah Morton’s Day by Kate Waters– Sarah Morton’s Day goes through a day in the life of a Pilgrim girl. From getting dressed in the morning, to what she eats and what her chores are. She talks about the games they play and what she learns. I loved this book as a kid, it gives a really good insight into pilgrim life and I loved imagining myself as a pilgrim.

Samuel Eaton’s Day by Kate Waters– Samuel Eaton’s Day is very similar to the book Sarah Morton’s Day, but it is about a young boy who is old enough to help with the harvest for the first time. It goes through his whole day, from getting dressed to the blisters in his unworked hands, telling the story of a young pilgrim boy including what they eat and how they play.

On the Mayflower by Kate Waters– This book is similar to Sarah Morton’s Day or Samuel Eaton’s Day but it takes place on the Mayflower. It tells the voyage from the perspective of a ship’s apprentice and a passenger girl telling the story of day to day life on the Mayflower.

The First Thanksgiving by Linda Hayward– This easy reader book about the First Thanksgiving actually goes into great detail about the first Thanksgiving. It is perfect for an early reader!

Two Bad Pilgrims by Kathryn Lasky– This book tells the story of two naughty pilgrim boys John and Francis Billington. These are the two boys that almost blew up the Mayflower and got into all sorts of mischief. It is told in comic book format so it is perfect for reluctant readers.

This is the Feast by Diane Z. Shore– This beautifully illustrated rhyming book takes you on a journey with the pilgrims from the Mayflower to the first Thanksgiving. This one is one of my favorites because the illustrations are so beautiful.

The Berenstain Bears Thanksgiving– This rhyming adventure with Mama, Papa, Brother and Sister takes you on a journey to meet Big Paw and remember to give thanks on Thanksgiving Day.

The Pilgrim’s First Thanksgiving– This book about the pilgrims journey takes you through what the pilgrims had to face in each of their first seasons in the new world.

The Pilgrims at Plymouth by Lucille Recht Penner– This detailed account of the pilgrims life in the new world takes children through the great sickness the pilgrims faced, how the pilgrims built their houses and the story of the man that fell overboard on the Mayflower.

Clifford’s Puppy Days Giving Thanks – This sweet book about everyone’s favorite red dog is the perfect introduction to Thanksgiving for little tiny readers.

Thanksgiving is by Louise Borden– This easy reader book takes kids through all of the things that Thanksgiving is.

Magic Tree House Research Guide Pilgrims by Mary Pope Osborne and Natalie Pope Boyce– This is the perfect book for curious minds. It is a companion to the Magic Tree House book Thanksgiving on Thursday and answers all sorts of questions kids might have about pilgrims.