Favorite Thanksgiving Books

Before I put these books back on the shelf, I wanted to take a minute and share some of our favorite picture books we enjoyed during the month of November.

This book did a great job of telling the story of the voyage on the Mayflower and the Pilgrims' first year.

This is a beautifully illustrated picture book that describes the changing of the seasons. The little girl talks to each thing she passes in nature and they talk back. Sweet and simple and beautiful.

Another beautiful book describing the changing of the seasons. Lots of fabulous descriptive language. Not always exactly what we see outside here in Texas, but beautiful nonetheless!

We love all things Curious George in our house and these little seasonal books do not disappoint. They are all poems with great vocabulary and language and I love any opportunity to sneak in some poetry!

This book was for sure the kids' favorite. Describing a big family get-together complete with the "Hall of Aunts" where the kids get grabbed and their cheeks pinched and the "Wall of Butts" (all the people watching the football game) the cousins try to escape the kids' room to play outside.

A classic Dave Pilkey story before he created the Captain Underpants series. Modeled after "'Twas the Night Before Christmas," the kids stumble upon a turkey farm the night before Thanksgiving and creatively devise a plan to save the turkeys from becoming Thanksgiving dinner! His illustrations also give nods to Van Gogh which was a nice little entry point for a causal art discussion. Super cute.

This might have actually been the kids' real favorite. Mrs. Turkey wants a real turkey for Thanksgiving so her husband sets out to get her one. Thinking he will be used for dinner, turkey is surprised to find that he is actually wanted as a guest!

This book was my personal favorite. Years after the first Thanksgiving people slowly stopped celebrating the occasion and Thanksgiving was almost forgotten. Sarah Hale, superhero of Thanksgiving, worked tirelessly for years to convince everyone it was a holiday worth saving. Using her secret weapon, her pen, and with amazing persistence, she didn't stop until President Lincoln finally said "Yes!"

Sarah also penned "Mary Had a Little Lamb" after a lamb literally followed one of her students to the schoolhouse one day! I had no idea!

I can't wait to pull these books out again next year. Of course, they are always on the shelf, but it just makes it even more special to save them for just a few short weeks a year.

What were your family's favorite read-alouds for November?