Recommended Thanksgiving Picture Books
Thanksgiving Picture Books bring children into the warmth of the holiday with stories about gratitude, family, friendship and sharing.
These engaging Kids Books About Thanksgiving make it easy to explore Thanksgiving traditions while enjoying meaningful fall storytime.
You can find these Thanksgiving picture books at your local library or purchase through the affiliate links provided for your convenience.
Easy Thanksgiving Crafts for Kids like this Paper Plate Pumpkin Pie Craft adds in even more fun for Thanksgiving.
Children Thanksgiving Books with Beloved Characters bring reading fun with characters your child will recognize.
Why You’ll Love Thanksgiving Picture Books
- Celebrates Thanksgiving: These stories introduce children to familiar holiday traditions, family gatherings and themes of gratitude.
- Encourages gratitude: Books give kids meaningful ways to explore thankfulness and appreciating the people around them.
- Supports social-emotional learning: Stories highlight kindness, generosity, friendship and togetherness.
- Sparks meaningful conversations: Reading together creates opportunities to talk about family, gratitude and Thanksgiving traditions.
- Perfect for seasonal learning: These books fit naturally into Thanksgiving activities, classroom lessons and family reading time.
- Creates cozy traditions: Sharing Thanksgiving stories together adds a special reading tradition to the holiday season.
Thanksgiving picture books combine engaging stories with meaningful lessons about gratitude, kindness and togetherness, making them a wonderful addition to seasonal storytime.
Fun Ways to Extend Reading and Learning
Once your child has enjoyed these Thanksgiving picture books, you can keep the theme going with related activities.
- Thanksgiving Fine Motor Activities: Practice cutting, tracing, coloring, and other hands-on skills with Thanksgiving-themed activities.
- Thanksgiving Sensory Play: Explore fall colors, textures, and materials through simple sensory activities.
- Thanksgiving Story Time: Read more Thanksgiving books and talk about the characters, traditions, and things your child notices in the illustrations.
- Gratitude Activity: Invite your child to share or draw things they feel thankful for while practicing language and emotional expression.
Thanksgiving Picture Books
Thanksgiving picture books offer heartwarming stories that help children discover the meaning behind gratitude, kindness and coming together.
From festive celebrations to thoughtful lessons, these books add a special touch to Thanksgiving reading.
10 Fat Turkeys
10 Fat Turkeys brings counting and Thanksgiving together as ten silly turkeys wobble, tumble and perform goofy antics in a rhythmic, laugh-filled adventure.
One Little, Two Little, Three Little Pilgrims (Picture Puffin Books)
One Little, Two Little, Three Little Pilgrims combines counting with a child-friendly look at the Pilgrims’ first Thanksgiving, following young characters through their daily lives and preparations for the celebration.
Squanto's Journey: The Story of the First Thanksgiving
Squanto’s Journey tells the story of the first Thanksgiving from Squanto’s perspective, offering young readers a thoughtful look at his life, his relationship with the Wampanoag and the events surrounding the harvest celebration.
Thanksgiving Mice!
Thanksgiving Mice! follows a group of little mice as they prepare for a festive feast, bringing Thanksgiving traditions, teamwork and cheerful holiday mischief to life.
The Very First Thanksgiving Day
The Very First Thanksgiving Day uses lively rhymes and engaging illustrations to introduce children to the Pilgrims, Wampanoag people and harvest feast traditionally associated with the first Thanksgiving.
The Ugly Pumpkin
The Ugly Pumpkin follows a lonely pumpkin searching for a place where he belongs, delivering a funny, heartwarming story about friendship, acceptance and discovering where you truly fit in.
This First Thanksgiving Day: A Counting Story
This First Thanksgiving Day combines counting with a child-friendly retelling of the Thanksgiving story, introducing Pilgrims, Wampanoag people and turkeys through rhythmic text and interactive illustrations.
The Night Before Thanksgiving
The Night Before Thanksgiving captures the excitement and anticipation of Thanksgiving Day as a family prepares for the holiday with cooking, traditions, family time and plenty of festive bustle.
I Know an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Pie (Picture Puffin Books)
I Know an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Pie puts a hilarious Thanksgiving twist on the classic cumulative rhyme as a hungry old lady gobbles up an entire feast, from pie and cider to squash and more.
. . . If You Sailed on the Mayflower in 1620
If You Sailed on the Mayflower in 1620 takes children aboard the Mayflower to experience what the voyage and early life in Plymouth were like, with engaging historical details that bring the past to life.
Thanksgiving on Thursday (Magic Tree House #27)
Thanksgiving on Thursday sends Jack and Annie back to 1621, where they experience the Pilgrims’ harvest celebration and learn about the people, traditions and challenges surrounding the historic feast.
Easy Printable Thanksgiving Fun!
Get ready for a cornucopia of printable Thanksgiving fun that will make this holiday one to remember!
Find even more engaging book lists for kids with more than 100 book-themed reading lists!