{cute Thanksgiving garland from Pearl & Jane}
Ok, you asked and here they are!
My favorite books for Thanksgiving & Fall… enjoy!
The Relatives Came by Cynthia Rylant
This book is a classic….hello, it’s Cynthia Rylant! Just read the little exerpt above. This book is a staple for your library, Thanksgiving or not! 😉
Thankful by Eileen Spinelli
Short and sweet book about the everyday blessings to be thankful for, with gorgeous illustrations by Archie Preston. Each page says “The ___ is thankful for ___.” For example, “The Crafter is thankful for glitter and glue.” Super sweet and easy for children to relate to!
The Thanksgiving Story by Alice Dalgliesh
A much longer book (several paragraphs per page) but it beautifully tells the story of the first thanksgiving with gorgeous illustrations. For those of you who don’t know, Alice Dalgliesh is also the author of The Courage of Sarah Noble. Girl knows how to tell a story! 😉
Yellow Time by Lauren Stringer
“A symphony of yellow..” This book describes Autumn in such a simple, poetic way and the illustrations are just as beautiful as the text! A new book for our house, but a new favorite just the same!
Goodbye Summer, Hello Autumn by Kenard Pak
This is a series that goes through the transition of all the seasons and I already have the “autumn to winter” one on order. The illustrations are beyond and the text so super sweet. A child walks through town and nature saying “hello” to the people, animals, and forces of nature she comes across and they all respond with how they are making preparations for the changes coming. It ends with a “goodbye” to summer. This one is so good!!
Cranberry Thanksgiving by Wende and Harry Devlin
This is a series (there is a “Cranberry” book for almost every holiday) and they are such gems you guys! Do you remember them? Classic books from the 1970s about a grandmother who lives on a “lonely cranberry bog in New England”. This story is so sweet AND includes good old grandma’s secret cranberry bread recipe. I believe this book went out of print for a while but it’s back now, so hurry up and grab it!
Because of an Acorn by Lola M. Schaefer
This book tells the simple tale of the acorn and all that comes “because of that acorn”: seeds, trees, fruit, animals, etc. A sweet story about the life-cycles in nature. There is even a page in the back of the book with more information about and definitions of concepts mentioned in the book, including ways you can help preserve nature. Plus, a portion of the proceeds from every sale go to support the work of the Natural Resources Defense Council. So while it may not be your typical “thanksgiving” book, it definitely fits in the “fall” category and opens a nice dialogue for children about respect and care for nature and our environment…which we can all be thankful for!
Sharing the Bread by P. Miller and J. McElmurry
Love the rhyme and repetition in this old fashioned story of how one family prepares for thanksgiving!
The Girl and The Bicycle by Mark Pett
This is a true picture book. As in, there are NO words. But, I’m telling you, no words are needed. The story tells itself and my girls were mesmerized by the illustrations. We all had fun talking about what we thought was happening on each page and it was a nice change of pace to have a book “discussion” as opposed to a book “reading” together. The story is about one little girl’s determination and hard work to get a bicycle she realllly wants and has an interesting twist at the end. Such a great life-lesson and discussion book. Love it!! This book definitely makes you think outside the box and discuss what Thanksgiving is really about.
Leaf Man by Lois Ehlert
A fun story about Fall leaves and the shapes they take! My kiddos love collecting the colorful Fall leaves when we travel back to the East Coast. This would be a great intro book to a leaf craft!
The Little Red Hen by Paul Galdone
It’s a classic tale about the gathering of supplies to make a meal. It’s about working together to get the job done. This one has Thanksgiving written all over it! As in, somebody get their butt into the kitchen to help mommy peel the potatoes. 😉
The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein
…need I say more?
The Apple Pie Tree by Zoe Hall
A sweet book that follows a tree as it changes through the seasons and eventually ends with its fruit in an apple pie.
When Autumn Comes by Robert Maass
A great non-fiction alternative with photos that will leave you feeling nostalgic for 1984. 😉 But seriously, this book reminds of “the good old days” and I love introducing non-fiction to the girls as often as possible!
This Little Turkey by Aly Fronis
Cute little rhyming book that goes to the tune of “This Little Piggy”. Obsessed with the color palette in the illustrations!!
Fletcher and the Falling Leaves by Julia Rawlinson
This cute little fox sees the leaves falling and thinks there is a big problem…then he finds out what “falling leaves” actually bring… very sweet!
The Little Yellow Leaf by Carin Berger
This is a cute story about one little leaf who is just too afraid to fall. And I know I say this a lot, but the illustrations are SO good!!
Ask Me by Bernard Waber
A story of a father and his daughter, chatting as they stroll. This book is so fun to read aloud in the two voices of the dad and the daughter. It takes place in the Fall and is about love and bonding, so I’m grouping it with my Thanksgiving books!
Thanksgiving is Here! by Diane Goode
Tells the story of one loud, large family over the course of Thanksgiving Day. Short and sweet with adorable illustrations. Makes you wish you had a big giant family, and if you already do-it reminds you of why you love them! haha!
10 Fat Turkeys by Tony Johnston
Cute little rhyming & counting book
Thank you, Thanksgiving by David Milgrim
One sentence per page, saying “thank you for ___.” Illustrations are super cute and leaves lots of room for discussion on each page rather than just reading text.
Thanksgiving on Plymouth Plantation by Diane Stanley
Grandmother takes her grand kids traveling through time in this series, and in this specific book- back to Plymouth Plantation. She teaches and explains the history as they go exploring. A bit of longer read, but educational for older kids, or those always asking those “Why?” and “How Come?” questions. (aka, Quinlin)
The Magic Tree House: Thanksgiving on Thursday by Mary Pope Osborne
A Chapter book for older kids, or great as a read-aloud! We’ll be reading this together as our bedtime book in November!
Happy Reading (& eating) my friends! 😉
I LOVE your book recommendation posts! I’m always looking for fun new seasonal books to read with my 2.5 year old. Have you checked out the website “thriftbooks”? My husband got me hooked! They have a ton of gently used titles for much cheaper than anywhere else and I feel like I’m doing my part for the environment. It made getting 4 of your recommendations and easy decisions. Happy Turkey Month! 🦃🍗🍽
So…I just requested 8 of these books from my library. And the only reason I didn’t do more was because they didn’t have some of them! Love your list and your library. But I admire your restraint…we have WAY too many books that we love to narrow them down that much 😉