Family and friends will soon come together for another holiday. What fun! Especially for the children who get to play with their cousins and friends. How much do they know about the reasons behind our holidays? Many beautiful children’s books have been written to help them understand. Let’s look at a few books about Thanksgiving. Some of these are written by our own CCA authors who help write this blog.

For toddlers I recommend two board books:

What is Thanksgiving? is an beautifully written and illustrated board book by Michelle Medlock Adams and illustrated by Amy Wummer. The opening lines are, “What is Thanksgiving Day about? Please tell me what it means. Is it about the yummy food, Like turkey and green beans?” In fun rhymes Adams identifies other events that happen around Thanksgiving like parades, football games, relatives visiting, and school programs about Pilgrims. “It’s more than seeing relatives, and eating food that’s great . . .” as she delves into the idea behind Thanksgiving Day—thanking God for the many ways he blesses us including family, friends, pets, and fun. I love the easy flowing rhyme written to delight children on every page.

My Thanksgiving Prayer by Crystal Bowman and illustrated by Claudine Gévry is a prayer written in flowing rhyme that includes the many things children can thank God for. The book has a special shape to emphasize the cornucopia on the cover, and the illustrations are bright and colorful. My Thanksgiving Prayer is an excellent example to teach a child about prayer and to recognize the many reasons to thank God.

Older children and their parents will enjoy reading about the first American Thanksgiving in the picture book, Squanto and the Miracle of Thanksgiving written by Eric Metaxas and illustrated by Shannon Stirnweis. Author Metaxas is well known for his thorough historical research, and this book is no exception. Metaxas follows the life of Squanto, a young native American from the Patuxet tribe who was captured and sold as a slave in Spain. This book shows the hand of God at work when Squanto is purchased by some monks to spare him from slavery. They teach him about the Christian faith and devise a plan to help him return to his tribe. He also spends time in England and learns the English language before getting the opportunity to return across the ocean to his homeland. Squanto is grieved to discover his family and tribe had all died from a sickness. Through Samoset from a neighboring tribe Squanto meets the English speaking Pilgrims and teaches them how to plant and fish to survive the next winter. The following autumn the Pilgrims celebrated a great feast to thank God for sending them Squanto, and Samoset’s tribe comes with wild turkeys, deer, and many vegetables. This overview doesn’t do the book, Squanto and the Miracle of Thanksgiving, justice as there are so many fascinating details woven into the story, while the hand of God is powerfully represented.

Some books are written to tell fun stories that happen around the Thanksgiving holiday. here are two:

Maccaroni and Cheese for Thanksgiving written by Cheryl C. Malandrinos and illustrated by Marina Movshina is the story of ten-year-old Macy, who is waiting for her grandparents to arrive on Thanksgiving Day. Their greetings are interrupted by a loud crash, and the family rushes into the kitchen to discover the dog gnawing on a meaty turkey leg. It will take Macy’s quick thinking to save dinner.

Gracias The Thanksgiving Turkey written Joy Cowley and illustrated by Joe Cepeda is another fun story about a live turkey named Gracias that was intended for Thanksgiving dinner until Miguel claimed him as his amigo. The story takes place in New York City where Miguel lives in an apartment with his abuelos (grandparents) and tia (aunt). Enjoy an action packed story with a happy ending and learn a few Spanish words as you read.

I am adding a few more titles that I’ve not reread lately, but are familiar to me from my previous experience as a school librarian. Here is the list:

Squanto and The First Thanksgiving by Joyce K. Kessel

If You Sailed on the Mayflower in 1620 by Ann McGovern

This First Thanksgiving Day: A Counting Story by Laura Krauss Melmed

Saying Grace: A Prayer of Thanksgiving by Virginia L. Kroll, Tim Ladwig

An Old-Fashioned Thanksgiving by Louisa May Alcott and illustrated by James Bernardin

A Turkey for Thanksgiving by Eve Bunting (This one is just for fun – the turkey is “invited” to come to Thanksgiving dinner… should he accept the invite?)

Alternate but good stories of thanks-giving. These are well worth sharing to broaden our perspective on thanks-giving, but need not replace the Plymouth Pilgrims’ Thanksgiving.

How Many Days to America? A Thanksgiving Story by Eve Bunting

Molly’s Pilgrim by Barbara Cohen

Post written by Janice D. Green

Be sure to sign up to receive updates of each new post on our Christian Children’s Authors blog. Follow us for new book news, free resources, parenting tips, and encouragement!

#christianchildrensbooks #christianbooksforkids #christianchildrensauthors