5 Great Picture Books About Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving at the Tappletons’, by Eileen Spinelli and Maryann Cocca-Leffler
Things get a little mixed up for the Tappleton family’s Thanksgiving celebration, as each member of the family tries to prepare the dish they’re responsible for and fails miserably. Your kids will laugh to see the uncooked turkey squirt out of Mrs. Tappleton’s hands, down the steps and into the lake across the backyard. Each member of the family decides not to tell the others about the mishap that has befallen their portion of the feast, so readers will be in suspense to find out what happens when each discovers the others’ mistakes. Don’t worry—there’s Thanksgiving family love, forgiveness, and improvised food in the end.

Thanksgiving Rules, by Laurie Friedman and Teresa Murfin
Let Percy Isaac Gifford, the narrator of this jouncy, rhyming Thanksgiving picture book, show you how to celebrate the holiday with aplomb. First tip, kids, “moms like to set a mood.” The sooner you get on that scratchy sweater, the sooner you get to the pie. Percy also has tips about how to load your plate to its maximum holding capacity, and encourages eaters to reach beyond their comfort zones: “First, take sweet potatoes./Trust me, they taste good./ Don’t be afraid of stuffing,/even though it looks like wood.”

An Outlaw Thanksgiving, by Emily Arnold McCully
It’s 1896 and Clara is traveling by train with her mother from Omaha to Utah to meet her father, who plans to start a business in California. At the train station she notices a wanted poster for Butch Cassidy, and a little boy nearby says he’d like to meet him. “They say he’s awfully good-hearted. Gives some of what he steals to needy folks,” the boy reports. When snow strands the train, a kind stranger invites them to his place for Thanksgiving. Sarah recognizes a familiar outlaw at the feast, but keeps this knowledge hidden from her nervous mother.

Thanksgiving Day at Our House: Thanksgiving Poems for the Very Young, by Nancy White Carlstrom & R.W. Alley
This book of rhyming poems will make a fun read aloud before the tryptophan hits you, and will help kids reflect on everything they’re thankful for. There’s even an alternative blessing to read before the meal: “Thanks for food that crunches/And grows in bunches/For food that mashes/And squishes and smashes/ And tastes good going down.”

Sarah Gives Thanks, by Mike Allegra and David Gardner
This beautiful book will remind us that Thanksgiving has always been a time for seeing light in the darkness, for unity, togetherness, and peace. Sarah Josepha Hale was a mother of five when her husband died in 1822, requiring her to find a job. She eventually found work as a writer, became the editor of Ladies’ Magazine and Lady’s Book, and used her platform to advocate for making Thanksgiving a national holiday. Allegra writes, “The holiday helped Sarah to look beyond her personal problems and appreciate what she had.” Sarah wrote to four different presidents advocating for making Thanksgiving a national holiday. Finally, the fifth president, Abraham Lincoln, listened. He believed the holiday could help heal the deeply divided nation, and issued a proclamation declaring a national day of thanksgiving in 1863. The rest is turkey-filled history.