31 Best Thanksgiving Books That We're Definitely Grateful For
From famous reads for adults to picture books for kids, we've got something for everyone.
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When Halloween is over, you can put away the scary books for kids and the horror novels that keep you up at night, and make room for reads about the next holiday. The best Thanksgiving books remind kids and adults to be grateful for all the blessings in their lives, a concept that's too easy to lose sight of in the whirlwind of Thanksgiving activities and Thanksgiving games.
This time of year, you may also be looking for stories that offer more accurate depictions of the lives of Native American tribes. The American Indian Library Association and American Indians in Children's Literature are both great resources, and their best books lists are fantastic additions to any home library. (We Are Water Protectors, a 2020 pick that also won the Caldecott Medal, is especially popular in my house.)
Even if you're just looking for books about food, family and giving thanks, we found plenty of great Thanksgiving books to read in 2022 for the whole family.
This novel of interwoven stories tells the complicated, beautiful, heroic and sometimes painful history of Native American people trying to get by. If you're looking for one book to read by Native and indigenous authors this Thanksgiving, you can't miss this one. Ages 12+
This book follows three different families and shows how each of them celebrates the holiday. There are also suggestions in the back for how to keep the spirit of gratitude going even when the book is closed. Ages 3+
Is it Pout-Pout Fish actually smiling? It seems so, and the thing that puts a grin on his face is gathering together with all his fishy friends to celebrate Thanksgiving. This rhyming board book is perfect for your little one's first holiday. Ages 0+
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Poet Ross Gay challenged himself to notice the delights in the world over a challenging year, and this book is the result. While not strictly about Thanksgiving, this thoughtful, introspective, beautifully written book of lyrical essays will help you reflect on the good things in your own life. Ages 15+
What fills your heart with happiness? In this book, a little girl names the things that make her heart swell, including the faces of those she loves. The words of this book are written in both English and Anishinaabemowin, the language of the Ojibwe people. Ages 0+
OK, it's technically a cookbook. But I can't be the only one who's ever read a cookbook like a novel. And this one has over 600 recipes that illustrate how Americans eat, paired with historic photographs, folk art, vintage advertisements and family snapshots that paint a portrait of who we are, where we came from and what's on our tables. It may even help you find a new favorite recipe for yours.
Sourcebooks Wonderland How to Catch a Turkey by Adam Wallace and Andy Elkerton
From the author of How to Catch a Leprechaun and How to Catch an Elf comes this book, about how to catch the Thanksgiving meal. As usual, it's not as simple as it seems (and no turkeys are harmed).
Cartwheel Books Thanksgiving for Emily Ann by Teresa Johnston
Emily Ann takes on a Grinch-like role in this rhyming story. She doesn't like Thanksgiving since it makes her family too busy to pay attention to her, so she plans a prank with the turkey. This is good for any kid who feels overlooked during the holiday bustle. Ages 2+
This collection includes three holiday-centric works by one of the greatest observers of human nature of our time, Truman Capote. Based on Capote's own childhood growing up in Alabama, The Thanksgiving Visitor is a tale of jealousy, revenge and forgiveness that may make your own family squabbles feel a little easier to swallow. Ages 7+
Everyone knows this old song, so you can probably "read" this book without ever looking at the words. That affords you more time to look at the beautiful woodcut illustrations. Ages 0+
Days before Christmas, siblings Henry, Kate and Martin convene with a gaggle of spouses and kids at Henry's upstate New York house for the first holiday without their mom and tensions are running high. When a local mother and daughter need their help, they put aside their differences to pitch in. Even though it's set over Christmas instead of Thanksgiving, this new book by the author of smash hit Want can help you feel thankful for your own brood. Ages 15+
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This book comes from Cynthia Rylant, the beloved author of the Henry and Mudge and Annie and Snowball series. In this one, a pair of friends — a bunny and frog — go around being thankful for their favorite things, but there's no turkey on the table, so you can read it all year. It comes out on September 7, but it's available for pre-order now. Ages 2+
That's just so much for this little monkey to be curious about! Each page features a different poem about George's adventures, and the book is tabbed so little hands can flip right to their favorite ones. Ages 0+
Otsaliheliga (oh-jah-LEE-hay-lee-gah) is a word members of the Cherokee tribe use to express their gratitude, and this book goes through each of the seasons naming things to be thankful for. There are other Cherokee words throughout, along with how to pronounce them — though you can also get the Wonderbook version that says everything aloud for you as you read along. Ages 3+
We've all been relegated to the kids' table at one time or another, but in this book, it turns out the kids' table is the place to be. A group of cousins share the table throughout the meal and show kids there are big joys to being in those small chairs. Ages 5+
You won't find turkey and stuffing in this book, but it is about the most important elements of Thanksgiving: sharing and feeling thankful. The photos are from the artists behind the tea&bannock blog for indigenous women photographers. Ages 0+
Each line of this book builds on the last, just like in "The House That Jack Built." Only instead of a house, this family is building a feast, all around the table that Grandad built. While it's a great read-aloud book, early readers will also love getting into the rhythm and trying to finish the lines themselves. Ages 3+
Dav Pilkey, author of the Dog Man series, tells a Thanksgiving story as zany as you'd expect from the creator of Captain Underpants. It tells the "tall-tailed tall tale" of eight kids who go visit a turkey farm on Thanksgiving Eve, and the antics that result. Ages 4+
The Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade takes center stage here, and any kid who's watched the big balloons on TV will be delighted by this book. It tells the story of Tony Sarg, a puppeteer who came up with the idea of adding the big balloons to the parade. Ages 4+
National Geographic Kids uses this photo essay to give a more historically accurate portrayal of the first Thanksgiving, from the perspective of both the colonists and the Wampanoag tribe. Even adults say they learn new things when they read this one. Ages 8+
Marisa (she/her) has covered all things parenting, from the postpartum period through the empty nest, for Good Housekeeping since 2018; previously, she wrote about parents and families at Parents and Working Mother. She lives with her toy-collecting husband and daughter in Brooklyn, where she can be found helping out her team at bar trivia or posting about movies on Twitter and Bluesky.
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