Thanksgiving books for kids: the best read-alouds for November
Sixteen picture books for the weeks before Thanksgiving: silly turkeys and big family dinners for the little ones, Native voices on the harvest of 1621, and true stories about how the holiday came to be.
In this guide
The short answer
For preschoolers, start with A Turkey for Thanksgiving by Eve Bunting and Around the Table That Grandad Built. For the history, read Keepunumuk: Weeâchumun’s Thanksgiving Story, written by Native authors including a Mashpee Wampanoag author, and If You Lived During the Plimoth Thanksgiving by Passamaquoddy author Chris Newell. For ages 5 to 8, add Balloons over Broadway and Thank You, Sarah, two true stories about the holiday as we know it.
Good Thanksgiving books for kids do two jobs. Some are simply fun: a nervous turkey, a dinner that goes wrong, a whole family crammed around one table. Others help with a harder question, the one your child may bring home from school: what actually happened at the first Thanksgiving? This list covers both, with sixteen read-alouds for ages 3 to 8 that you can spread across November.
We favored books recommended by trusted sources such as Reading Rockets and the Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian, and we included several by Native authors, because the people whose history this is are the best ones to tell it.
What to tell young kids about the first Thanksgiving
You do not need to cover everything at once. Young children can hold a few true, simple facts, and you can add more as they grow.
- Name the people. The English colonists shared a harvest feast in the fall of 1621 with the Wampanoag, whose leader Ousamequin, also called Massasoit, arrived with about 90 men. The Wampanoag had lived in the place they called Patuxet for thousands of years.
- Keep it close to the record. The feast lasted three days and was probably held in late September or early October. The Wampanoag brought five deer. Historians at Plimoth Patuxet Museums describe it as a diplomatic gathering between two groups who had recently made an alliance. It was not called Thanksgiving at the time.
- Talk about Native people in the present tense. A museum educator at the National Museum of the American Indian suggests shifting the language of questions and discussion from past tense to present. Wampanoag communities, such as the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe on Cape Cod, are still here today.
- For older kids, add the harder part. What followed the feast brought great loss for Native people, and since 1970 some Native Americans have observed the day as a National Day of Mourning. Six to eight year olds can understand that one holiday can hold different feelings for different families.
Thanksgiving books for preschoolers (ages 3 to 5)
For the youngest, Thanksgiving is about food, family and a good laugh. These books about Thanksgiving for preschoolers keep it warm and simple.
1. A Turkey for Thanksgiving, by Eve Bunting, illustrated by Diane de Groat
Mr. and Mrs. Moose invite their animal friends to Thanksgiving dinner, and set out to find Turkey too. Turkey is terrified, because he thinks they want him on the table, not at it. The twist at the end gets a laugh every year.
2. Thanksgiving at the Tappletons’, by Eileen Spinelli, illustrated by Maryann Cocca-Leffler
Everything goes wrong at the Tappletons’ big dinner: the turkey slides into the pond and the bakery sells out of pies. Then Grandmother reminds everyone that there is more to Thanksgiving than the trimmings.
3. Around the Table That Grandad Built, by Melanie Heuiser Hill, illustrated by Jaime Kim
Several generations of a family prepare a meal together, each person adding something, told in the cadence of a familiar rhyme. Little listeners will soon be saying the refrain with you.
4. Family Feast!, by Carole Boston Weatherford, illustrated by Frank Morrison
A newer favorite: Big Ma and Pops are up early, and aunts, uncles and cousins arrive to chop, stir, share recipes and sneak little treats before the whole family sits down together. Joyful and noisy, like the best family kitchens.
5. Gracias, the Thanksgiving Turkey, by Joy Cowley, illustrated by Joe Cepeda
A young Puerto Rican boy in New York City saves the life of his pet turkey with help from his close-knit family and neighborhood. Spanish words are woven through the text.
6. Duck for Turkey Day, by Jacqueline Jules, illustrated by Kathryn Mitter
Tuyet is worried when her Vietnamese American family plans to serve duck instead of turkey. When she tells her class what she ate, a happy surprise is waiting, and a reassuring message for any child whose table looks different.
7. It’s Thanksgiving, by Jack Prelutsky, illustrated by Marylin Hafner
Twelve short, funny poems about the holiday, including one about eating far too much. Perfect for reading one poem a night in the week before the big day.
Native voices and the real history
These books tell the story from Native perspectives, or with Native authors and scholars at the center. They work for different ages, so we note each one.
8. Keepunumuk: Weeâchumun’s Thanksgiving Story, by Danielle Greendeer, Anthony Perry and Alexis Bunten, illustrated by Gary Meeches Sr.
Two Mashpee Wampanoag children hear their grandmother tell the story of Weeâchumun, the corn, and the first Thanksgiving, told in a Native tradition. The authors include Danielle Greendeer of the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe. A strong first history book for ages 3 to 7.
9. Giving Thanks: A Native American Good Morning Message, by Chief Jake Swamp, illustrated by Erwin Printup Jr.
Mohawk chief Jake Swamp adapts the Thanksgiving Address, the Haudenosaunee message of thanks to the natural world, for children. Mohawk parents have long taught children to start each day this way, so it shows giving thanks as a daily practice, not a one-day event.
10. We Are Grateful: Otsaliheliga, by Traci Sorell, illustrated by Frané Lessac
A Cherokee family and community give thanks through every season of the year, with Cherokee words in Sequoyah’s syllabary woven through. The Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian suggests it for younger children in November. (Our guide to books about gratitude covers the theme year-round.)
11. If You Lived During the Plimoth Thanksgiving, by Chris Newell, illustrated by Winona Nelson
Passamaquoddy author and museum professional Chris Newell answers children’s questions about the feast at Plimoth, what people ate and how it became a national holiday, from both sides of the event. Best for ages 6 to 9, read a section at a time.
12. 1621: A New Look at Thanksgiving, by Catherine O’Neill Grace and Margaret M. Bruchac
Made with Plimoth Plantation (now Plimoth Patuxet Museums), it uses photographs of a reenactment to explain the Wampanoag people, colonization, diplomacy and the harvest of 1621. Reading Rockets lists it for ages 9 to 12, so read it yourself first and share the pictures with younger kids.
Thanksgiving books for kids ages 5 to 8
Longer stories, true stories and a few that put children right in the middle of the holiday.
13. Balloons over Broadway, by Melissa Sweet
The true story of Tony Sarg, the puppeteer behind the giant balloons of the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. It won the 2012 Sibert Medal for informational books, and it is a great pick for kids who love to build things.
14. Thank You, Sarah: The Woman Who Saved Thanksgiving, by Laurie Halse Anderson, illustrated by Matt Faulkner
Sarah Hale, a magazine editor, wrote letter after letter for decades until President Lincoln made Thanksgiving a national holiday in 1863. Funny and lively, it shows kids that one persistent person can change things.
15. Fat Chance Thanksgiving, by Patricia Lakin, illustrated by Stacey Schuett
After a fire destroys her apartment, Carla and her mother move into a new building, and Carla is determined to bring the neighbors together for a Thanksgiving no one will forget. A warm story about building community from scratch.
16. Molly’s Pilgrim, by Barbara Cohen
Molly, a Jewish immigrant from Russia, is teased by classmates for her accent. When her mother makes a pilgrim doll for a class project that looks more like a Russian refugee than a New England settler, the little doll helps Molly find her place. A short early chapter book for ages 6 and up.
Choosing more Thanksgiving books on your own
If you browse the library shelf, a few quick checks help. Does the book name the Wampanoag, or does it say only “the Indians”? Does it show Native people living today, or only in the past? Are any Native authors, illustrators or advisors involved? A book can be fun and still be accurate, and the books above prove it. For more ideas on talking about thanks without a lecture, see our guide to raising grateful kids, and when December comes, our list of the best Christmas books for kids.
Questions parents ask
What is a good Thanksgiving book for preschoolers?
A Turkey for Thanksgiving by Eve Bunting is a reliable favorite for ages 3 to 5, thanks to its funny twist. Around the Table That Grandad Built and Thanksgiving at the Tappletons’ are also good picks: short, warm stories about families gathering for a meal.
How do I explain the first Thanksgiving to a 5-year-old?
Keep it simple and true: in 1621, English colonists and the Wampanoag people, who had lived there for thousands of years, shared a three-day harvest feast. Name the Wampanoag, mention that their leader brought about 90 men and five deer, and talk about Wampanoag people as living today, not only in the past.
Are there Thanksgiving books written by Native authors?
Yes. Keepunumuk: Weeâchumun’s Thanksgiving Story is written by Native authors including Danielle Greendeer of the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe. If You Lived During the Plimoth Thanksgiving is by Passamaquoddy author Chris Newell, Giving Thanks is by Mohawk chief Jake Swamp, and We Are Grateful is by Cherokee author Traci Sorell.
What Thanksgiving books teach the history of the holiday?
For ages 6 to 9, If You Lived During the Plimoth Thanksgiving explains the 1621 feast from both sides. Thank You, Sarah tells how Sarah Hale persuaded President Lincoln to make Thanksgiving a national holiday in 1863, and Balloons over Broadway tells the true story behind the parade balloons.
Sources
- How to Tell the Thanksgiving Story on Its 400th Anniversary (November 2021), David Kindy Smithsonian Magazine
- Five Ideas to Change Teaching About Thanksgiving, in Classrooms and at Home (November 2021), Renée Gokey Smithsonian, National Museum of the American Indian
- American Indian Perspectives on Thanksgiving National Museum of the American Indian, Native Knowledge 360°
- A Harvest of Books for Thanksgiving Reading Rockets
- Giving Thanks: A Native American Good Morning Message Lee & Low Books
- Melissa Sweet wins 2012 Sibert Medal American Library Association
Links checked on October 12, 2026. Guidance changes; the publishers above keep the current version.
Written by the WonderLab Journal editorial desk and checked against the sources above. Found something out of date? Tell us through the corrections page.
