Children’s Books for Thanksgiving

René Colato Laínez

This Thursday let's thanks for all the wonderful things we have. Say "Thank you" and "Gracias" and remember to smile.

Check these wonderful books in your local public library.

Gracias, the Thanksgiving turkey by Joy Cowley. Illustrated by Joe Cepeda.

Trouble ensues when Papa gets Miguel a turkey to fatten up for Thanksgiving and Miguel develops an attachment to it.






¿Pavo para la Cena de Gracias? ¡No, gracias! por Alma Flor Ada. Ilustrado por Vivi Escriva.

When the turkey overhears a conversation about how fat and tasty he will be on Thanksgiving, he loses his own appetite. He meets a young spider who sets out to find a way to save the turkey.





Molly y los peregrinos por Barbara Cohen. Illustrado por Michael J. Deraney. Traducido por María A. Fiol.

Told to make a doll like a pilgrim for the Thanksgiving display at school, Molly's Jewish mother dresses the doll as she herself dressed before leaving Russia to seek religious freedom--much to Molly's embarrassment.




How many days to America?: a Thanksgiving story by Eve Bunting. Illustrated by Beth Peck.

Refugees from a Caribbean island embark on a dangerous boat trip to America where they have a special reason to celebrate Thanksgiving.






I know an old lady who swallowed a pie by Alison Jackson. Illustrated by Judith Byron Schachner.

A new twist on the cumulative folk song, this time involving a ravenous Thanksgiving Day guest.





The very first Thanksgiving Day by Rhonda Gowler Greene. Illustrated by Susan Graber.

Rhyming verses trace the events leading up to the first Thanksgiving Day.





The perfect Thanksgiving by Eileen Spinelli. Illustrated by JoAnn Adinolfi.

Two families--one that is perfect and one that is far from it--celebrate Thanksgiving in their own loving ways.





This is the turkey by Abby Levine. Illustrated by Paige Billin-Frye.

Describes in rhyme the activities of a young boy and his extended family as they share a special Thanksgiving.