It is fall…beautiful fall…although some places feel like they are already in the midst of a harsh winter season. Fall brings beautiful changing leaves, blankets, bonfires, candles, hot apple cider, hayrides and other fun to celebrate the changing seasons.
With it comes my favorite holiday….Thanksgiving. I absolutely love Thanksgiving. It is a time to intentionally focus on what we are thankful for and it is without the pressure of buying gifts. Sadly, Thanksgiving is losing focus in America, in between the hype of Halloween and the excitement of Christmas. Stores are now even opening on Thanksgiving to get ahead of the Black Friday rush. We have to really determine to celebrate Thanksgiving and focus our hearts on gratitude {which we should be doing each day of the year}.
One of the ways we focus on Thanksgiving is by reading through our favorite Thanksgiving books. I always try to add a new book to our Thanksgiving basket and have them out for the family to read during the season. It is a way to focus our hearts, as well as remember what our forefathers did for us.
Thanksgiving: A Time to Remember
One of my ABSOLUTE FAVORITE books…we read it every year and it tells the true story of Squanto and the Pilgrims. Truth in history is getting much harder to come by in newer books. Did you know how big a part in history Squanto played? Are you aware of how God set the stage far in advance for the Pilgrims? Or about how he prepared Squanto years in advance through his hardships to be a helper to them?
This story of the Pilgrims’ faithfulness and biblical thankfulness is accompanied by a CD of songs of worship and praise that will call your hearts to gratitude. It’s a wonderful opportunity to enrich your family’s awareness of our nation’s Christian heritage, provide models of courage and sacrifice for your children, and establish a tradition of sharing your gratefulness with one another, which will build a legacy of memories for the future.
From the dangerous voyage across the Atlantic to the first harsh winter to the delicious Thanksgiving feast, all the excitement and wonder of the Pilgrims’ first year in America is captured in this vivid retelling that is perfect for the youngest historians.
The Pilgrims’ First Thanksgiving
The Pilgrims’ first Thanksgiving lasted three whole days. Ann McGovern’s simple text introduces children to the struggles of the Pilgrims during their first year at Plymouth Colony and the events leading to the historic occasion we celebrate today.
Squanto and the Miracle of Thanksgiving
This entertaining and historical story shows that the actual hero of the Thanksgiving was neither white nor Indian, but God. In 1608, English traders came to Massachusetts and captured a 12-year old Indian, Squanto, and sold him into slavery. He was raised by Christians and taught faith in God. Ten years later he was sent home to America. Upon arrival, he learned an epidemic had wiped out his entire village. But God had plans for Squanto. God delivered a Thanksgiving miracle: an English-speaking Indian living in the exact place where the Pilgrims land in a strange new world.
. . . If You Sailed on the Mayflower in 1620
What kind of ship was the Mayflower? How did the Pilgrims feel when they saw land? What was the first building in Plymouth? In lively question-and-answer style, this fact-filled book answers all sorts of questions about the Pilgrims’ journey on the Mayflower and their first year in America.
Boys and girls will find out why the Pilgrims left England to live in America, what they took with them on board the Mayflower, and the hardships they endured. They’ll learn what the Mayflower Compact was, how the Pilgrims made a peace treaty with the Indians, and how these brave settlers managed to survive in their new land.
The Pumpkin Patch Parable: Special Edition (Parable Series)
The Pumpkin Patch Parable-This charming story for children illustrates how a loving farmer can turn a simple pumpkin into a simply glorious sight. In the same way, God’s transforming love can fill each of our hearts with joy and light. Liz Curtis Higgs created this parable as a way to share the Good News with her own precious children each harvest season . . . and now with children everywhere.
P Is for Pumpkin: God’s Harvest Alphabet
P is for Pumpkin celebrates the wonders of the fall season. With help from the alphabet, journey through God’s harvest blessings—in the process discovering just how much there is to be thankful for! The fun is infectious as they learn to appreciate autumn for its beauty and bounty and more.
My Thanksgiving Prayer oversized board book features a child thanking and praising God for the big and small joys of life.
Celebrate the season in this heartwarming story that references Psalm 92 in tender rhyme. Told from the point of view of one young member of an extended family,Give Thanks to the Lord celebrates joy of all kinds, from the arrival of distant relatives to a cozy house already filled with merriment, to apple cider and the delicious smells of roasting turkey and baking pie. And just when your mouth is watering, sit down and join a thankful child in prayer, praising God for “food and fun and family, all the wonderful things I see.”
Richly detailed paintings show how the pilgrims lived after landing at Plymouth, through the dark winter and into the busy days of spring, summer, and fall. Culminating with the excitement of the original Thanksgiving feast, Three Young Pilgrims makes history come alive.
Thank You, Sarah: The Woman Who Saved Thanksgiving
We the people of the United States…
Almost Lost Thanksgiving
Yes. That’s right!
Way back when “skirts were long and hats were tall” Americans were forgetting Thanksgiving, and nobody seemed to care!
Thankfully, Sarah Hale appeared. More steadfast than Plymouth Rock, this lady editor knew the holiday needed saving. But would her recipe for rescue ever convince Congress and the presidents?
Thanksgiving Day at Our House: Thanksgiving Poems for the Very Young
A house full of relatives can mean only one thing — it must be Thanksgiving! Starting with a school pageant the day before Thanksgiving and ending with after-dinner snoozing, this book offers a peek at one family’s holiday celebration. Whether for rhyming or singing or simply saying grace, these warm, cozy poems show that there are lots of ways to give thanks — and so many things to be thankful for!
Thanksgiving Is for Giving Thanks (Reading Railroad)
Thanksgiving is about pilgrims and history–and turkey, of course!–but most importantly, it’s a holiday all about everything that we are thankful for. Cheerful, colorful illustrations accompany the simple text in this celebration of family, friends, and the holiday that brings them all together.
Cranberry Thanksgiving (Cranberryport)
Every year Grandmother invited a guest for Thanksgiving dinner and allowed Maggie to do the same. “Ask someone poor or lonely,” she always said. Thanksgiving was Grandmother’s favorite day of the year. The cooking was done and her famous cranberry bread was cooling on a wooden board. But she wasn’t happy to find out Maggie had invited the unsavory Mr. Whiskers to dinner. Would her secret cranberry bread recipe be safe with him in the house?
Drive Thru History: American History Series, All Episodes 1-12 in Set
This is a BIG FAVORITE in our house. My guys love it. We all do. History is one our favorite things. This covers much more than Thanksgiving, but is a great addition for your family.
Liberty’s Kids – The Complete Series
This takes place after Thanksgiving, but my family loves it. It helps them remember WHY the Pilgrims came to America to begin with.
I hope you enjoy some of our favorite resources and may find some new ones to add to your family’s library.
What are your favorite Thanksgiving Books?
