Add some great children’s literature to your Thanksgiving lessons this fall. The 25 books below are educational and entertaining. You can extend the reading of the books by discussing genre, characters, setting, and more. Be sure to preview the stories before sharing with your class, as some may be better suited to different grade and maturity levels.
Thanksgiving Children’s Books
1. A Turkey for Thanksgiving
by Eve Bunting
2. The Thanksgiving Story
by Alice Dalgliesh
(A Caldecott Honor Book – 1985)
3. The Pilgrim’s First Thanksgiving
by Ann McGovern
4. Thanksgiving Day
by Gail Gibbons
5. It’s Thanksgiving
by Jack Prelutsky
6. Squanto and the First Thanksgiving
by Joyce K. Kessel
7. Thanksgiving on Thursday (Magic Tree House #27)
by Mary Pope Osborne
8. Balloons Over Broadway: The True Story of the Puppeteer of Macy’s Parade
by Melissa Sweet
9. Off to Plymouth Rock
by Dandi Daley Mackall
10. I Know an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Pie
by Alison Jackson
11. Pete the Cat: The First Thanksgiving
by James Dean
12. ‘Twas the Night Before Thanksgiving
by Dav Pilkey
13. The Very First Americans
by Cara Ashrose
14. If You Were At the First Thanksgiving
by Anne Kamma
15. Junie B., First Grader: Turkeys We Have Loved and Eaten (and Other Thankful Stuff)
by Barbara Park
16. Who Was the First Thanksgiving?
by Joan Holub
17. Samuel Eaton’s Day: A Day in the Life of a Pilgrim Boy
by Kate Waters
18. Sarah Morton’s Day: A Day in the Life of a Pilgrim Girl
by Kate Waters
19. Squanto and the Miracle of Thanksgiving
by Eric Metaxas
20. Squanto’s Journey: The Story of the First Thanksgiving
by Joseph Bruchac
21. Arthur’s Thanksgiving
by Marc Brown
22. Giving Thanks: A Native American Good Morning Message
by Chief Jake Swamp
23. Mayflower Treasure Hunt (A to Z Mysteries Super Edition, No. 2)
by Ron Roy
24. A Plump and Perky Turkey
by Teresa Bateman
25. Corn Is Maize: The Gift of the Indians
by Aliki
What are your favorite Thanksgiving books for kids? Share them with us below!