Celebrate Thanksgiving with Books Part 2

Here are more Thanksgiving books. Next Monday, I’ll give you one more set. You can also check out last week’s Part 1.

The Thanksgiving Bowl by Virginia Knoll, illustrated by Philomena O’Neill

I love the idea of this Thanksgiving bowl. In this story, each member of a family writes an anonymous "I'm thankful for" note and places it in the Thanksgiving bowl. After the family guesses who wrote each note, the bowl is accidentally left outside. It rolls off on a year-long series of adventures.

The Perfect Thanksgiving by Eileen Spinelli, illustrated by Joann Adinolfi

This book tells the story of 2 families – one is perfect and one is not so perfect. Each family celebrates Thanksgiving in their own loving ways. Hooray for less-than-perfect families!

The Can-Do Thanksgiving by Marion Hess Pomeranc, illustrated by Nancy Cote

A girl is excited to help serve Thanksgiving dinner at the soup kitchen. When there’s a mishap in the kitchen, she and one of the kids being served help solve the problem.

The Thanksgiving Story by Alice Dalgliesh, illustrated by Helen Sewell

This book was written in 1954 – a long time ago! The text is somewhat old-fashioned and may contain some inaccuracies, but the story is told in a charming way.

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.

Rivka’s First Thanksgiving by Elsa Okon Rael, illustrated by Maryann Kovalski

Rivka learns about Thanksgiving at school. But it’s a hard sell to get her immigrant family and her rabbi to agree that Thanksgiving is for all Americans, Jews and non-Jews alike. I like how Rivka approaches the problem with both strength and respect.

It’s Thanksgiving! by Jack Prelutsky, illustrated by Marylin Hafner

This collection of poems is just about Thanksgiving. They cover a wide range: family, the first Thanksgiving, school projects, football, turkeys, leftovers and more. It is a I Can Read Level 3 book.

Dr. Carbles is Losing His Marbles by Dan Gutman, illustrated by Jim Paillot

This is only sort of a Thanksgiving book but it’s such fun, I had to include it. When their weird but fun principal is fired for bringing a wild turkey to the school’s Thanksgiving Day assembly, A.J. and his friends plot to get him back. This is part of Dan Gutman’s My Weird School series. I look forward to reading more books from the series.

Katie Kazoo Switcheroo: Don’t Be Such a Turkey! by Nancy Krulik, illustrated by John and Wendy

Katie is a regular fourth grader, except for one thing: sometimes a magic wind switches her into a different person. In this story, Katie ends up as an actor playing a Pilgrim and later as a clown in the Thanksgiving Day parade. This is a fun book.

Have you discoovered new books that celebrate Thanksgiving? Write them in the Comments box!

Gail