Thanksgiving has been my favorite holiday for as long as I can remember. And Thanksgiving books for kids are always one of the best parts of the season. While Halloween and Christmas books tend to be quite popular, I find … Read More
Just an hour from the southern entrance to Yellowstone National Park, Grand Teton National Park is like the smaller, less famous cousin. But though super different from Yellowstone, Grand Teton is incredible in and of itself, and was one of … Read More
If there’s any gift I have, it’s that of sleep. I’m a very skilled sleeper. Through all of pregnancy and babies and stress and family issues and everything else, I’ve remained an excellent sleeper. I have so little control over this … Read More
Dia de los Muertos is a Mexican holiday in which families honor and remember their ancestors who have passed on. Dia de los Muertos activities for kids are a wonderful way to connect with your own ancestors and learn more … Read More
I’ve mentioned before that we love we love matching family Halloween costumes, but that I was sure that last year would be the final time my kids would be on board. Well, lo and behold, this year they came up … Read More
This post Is the Snoo worth it? contains affiliate links, but all opinions are 100% my own. I earn a small commission if you purchase through my links, but doesn’t change your price. After 4 kids, we thought we had … Read More
When we left on our RV journey, we thought we would be gone for about 4-5 weeks. In fact, when we initially booked a rental RV, we reserved it for just shy of 6 weeks to give us a few … Read More
While we’ve visited many National Parks both in the US and around the world, we’ve never visited a place quite like Yellowstone National Park. The diversity of natural features, landscapes, animals, and activity options is remarkable. But since it’s such … Read More
A few days ago, I shared 10 lessons I took away from our full time RV life. Today, I thought it would be fun to share our kids’ favorite and best RV destinations from this trip! Our entire trip lasted … Read More
There are plenty of books that I love getting from the library. Even while our library has been closed, we’ve made extensive use of the digital and digital audio collections. But especially for seasonal books, like kids Halloween books, I … Read More
We’re home! After over 3.5 months of our first full time RV living, we’ve returned home for a little while before we head out on our next adventure. While it feels great to be back in our home, we’re already … Read More
Today, our oldest child turns TEN. It’s blowing my mind that we have a child who has officially left the single digits. How are we to the point of buying birthday gifts for a 10 year old boy? I’m not … Read More
Thanksgiving has been my favorite holiday for as long as I can remember. And Thanksgiving books for kids are always one of the best parts of the season. While Halloween and Christmas books tend to be quite popular, I find Thanksgiving picture books aren’t nearly as common.
A couple years ago, I began learning more about the true history of the first Thanksgiving. I started to incorporate more indigenous perspectives in our kids Thanksgiving books and removed some of the problematic, white-centric ones with incorrect history. It’s been meaningful to bring more of those into our home.
Here are all of our favorite inclusive Thanksgiving books for kids. Many of them share indigenous voices and perspectives. Others are great books on giving thanks, as well as fun traditions and feasts to celebrate the holiday with friends and family.
If you’re looking for more resources, American Indians in Children’s Literature is a great resource to check different books. Tolerance.org and Oyate.org also have a number of resources for decolonizing Thanksgiving for children, and here’s another list of indigenous children’s books broken up by category. I hope you enjoy these Thanksgiving picture books!
This book is one of the sweetest Thanksgiving books for toddlers. It helps even really young children understand the concept of gratitude and what they can be thankful for in their lives. I love having it in our collection of Thanksgiving board books!
Short and sweet, this book is perfect for young readers to remember the reason for the season. We can all find something for which to be grateful!
Amazon
Bookshop.org
Target
Walmart
This fun little book is a perfect Thanksgiving book for toddlers. With shiny tabs and numbers to count, it’s great for the youngest listeners.
Amazon
Bookshop.org
Target
Walmart
Sorell draws on her Cherokee heritage and language traditions to share this gorgeous book of thanks. It follows not just one time of thanks, but a full year of gratitude and celebrations. One of my very favorite Thanksgiving books for children.
Amazon
Bookshop.org
Target
Walmart
This stunning book details an Igbo grandmother’s generosity in feeding those around her, and how they all share with her in return. Perfect for including a representative story of joy and celebration surrounding a feast for a family of color. Definitely a new favorite in our collection of Thanksgiving picture books.
Amazon
Bookshop.org
Target
Walmart
Turkey is concerned that Thanksgiving is quickly approaching. So he decides to try to pass for a number of other animals to avoid his fate. Will he stay safe? This is one of my kids favorite Thanksgiving books!
This book was out of print for ages, and I hunted and hunted for it. Happily, it came back in stock last year and has stayed available, and is a delight. A sweet story of not judging people based on their looks and welcoming all to our tables. A great addition to our Thanksgiving children’s books. The cranberry bread recipe is also delicious (we like to add chocolate chips to ours!).
I love this gentle story of a family that invites others over to celebrate Thanksgiving in their yard. Based on a true story and a 20-year long tradition.
Amazon
Bookshop.org
Target
Walmart
This Native American legend is told in poem by its own voice author. I love that it shares a love for the land and its inhabitants.
This classic Thanksgiving poem on the way to Grandma’s house is perfect book for Thanksgiving season. I love that this one includes a multiracial family, as well.
Amazon
Bookshop.org
Target
Walmart
While the end is a bit abrupt and doesn’t give a full history of the indigenous peoples after colonists arrived, this book is good for giving a brief overview of different tribes. A good starting point.
Amazon
Bookshop.org
Target
Walmart
I find all the Bear books delightful, and this Thanksgiving book for kids is no exception. A sweet and fun way to consider gratitude during this season and each day.
Amazon
Bookshop.org
Target
Walmart
These books are always good for a smile, and the Thanksgiving picture book version is just as fun as the others. I love the familiarity and humor of the rhyme!
Amazon
Bookshop.org
Target
Walmart
While not specifically a Thanksgiving book, this is an absolute favorite of mine from the Global Children’s Book Club that talks of indigenous traditions. I love that it brings in food and family and indigenous culture from a variety of tribes. (Watch the author doing a read aloud of it here!)
Amazon
Bookshop.org
Target
Walmart
In November by
This is one of my all-time favorite Thanksgiving books for kids. It tells the true story of the creator behind the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade through words and beautiful and creative illustrations. It’s such a fun story that charms me every time – one of the best Thanksgiving books!
Amazon
Bookshop.org
Target
Walmart
Author Bruchac draws from his Abenaki heritage to create this informative book on Squanto’s true contributions. It centers him as a hero for our modern Thanksgivings.
When we think of Thanksgiving, we usually think of a big feast. But how did it become a national holiday? It’s largely thanks to Sarah Hale. This tribute tells of the work she put in to create this special time for all of us.
Amazon
Bookshop.org
Target
Walmart
Although not a Thanksgiving book, this beautiful offering from an author/illustrator duo from different indigenous tribes stands to defend the earth’s water. The words and illustrations are moving and so special. Winner of the 2021 Caldecott medal.
Amazon
Bookshop.org
Target
Walmart
This beautiful message is often spoken at Iroquois ceremonial gatherings, and adapted for children. A Thanksgiving must read. We like to read this before starting our Thanksgiving meal.
Amazon
Bookshop.org
Target
Walmart
This National Geographic Kids photo-essay looks at a more historically accurate version of the events in 1621. I appreciate that this one counters the typical narrative of the first Thanksgiving.
Amazon
Bookshop.org
Target
Walmart
Female-focused indigenous stories are rare, and this one is stunning. A picture book biography, it details Buffalo Bird Girl’s daily life and includes her own words and photographs.
I really appreciate that this book incorporates a perspective of immigration into Thanksgiving. It’s a great one for helping children not remember their own opportunities for gratitude, but also to work to help others have opportunities for success, as well.
Primarily a musician, Robertson turned author to share the story of Hiawatha uniting tribes.
Amazon
Bookshop.org
Target
Walmart
This sweet book shares a family working together to prepare and celebrate a meal together. Everyone has a job!
Amazon
Bookshop.org
Target
Walmart
This picture book memoir shares the author’s story of immigrating to the United States, and the various gifts that all dreamers bring with them. In the end, we are all dreamers and all have unique gifts. Beautiful.
Amazon
Bookshop.org
Target
Walmart
This cozy book discusses the varied beauties of this month at its chilly peak.
If you’d like a printable copy of this book list to take with you to the library or reference on your phone, enter your email and it’ll show up in your inbox!
I ordered a few new ones this year that I am so excited about. We’ve started flipping through them and I couldn’t be more pleased. I hope you love them, too!
This beautiful and still book highlights a sweet inter-generational relationship that takes you through the seasons. I love the focus on friendship and being in nature together.
This new book by an Indigenous American author and from the perspective of the Wampanoag people is engaging and historically accurate. I’m so glad books like this exist now.
We’ve loved the opportunities we’ve had to see jingle dancers in real life. I loved reading this story about a young girl learning this beautiful art form and connecting with other women in her community because of it.
I love this compilation of incredible Indigenous Americans and hope it helps us make them household names. Written and illustrated by Indigenous American women.
I absolutely love this book with a bunch of hands on activities for kids to learn about different indigenous American tribes. So often, tribes get lumped together but really have very different cultures and customs, and this is such a fun way to learn about them. Includes crafts, recipes, games, and more. The author works for the Nitchen Children’s Museum of Native America.
It’s been harder to find books geared to slightly older kids, and this one is a gem. It’s a compilation of short writings by a number of Indigenous American authors, including poems, folk tales, and personal narratives.
From the authors of We Are Grateful is another stunning book, this time beautifully capturing that indigenous Americans do not just live in the past, but still exist today. Native American history is often taught as something in the past, and I love how this keeps those stories and peoples relevant and current for kids.
