Happy Thanksgiving! Tis the season of gratitude. If there is one thing I have learned from being a human being, it’s that personality traits / emotions like gratitude can be nurtured by exposure to models of that trait / emotion.
I am grateful for these three Children’s Thanksgiving stories that model an attitude of gratitude!
The Thankful Book
by Todd Parr
Told from a first-person perspective, the ‘any-kid’ narrator starts the story off with a cheery statement of intent to think about the things s/he is thankful for. With one line of text on each page, The Thankful Book is great for preschool, kindergarten and early primary students!
Parr covers a wide variety of people, places and things to be thankful for that we often take for granted – from the ‘everyday’ to the ‘special’ to the downright silly!
This is the ideal story for teaching a lesson on writing about what you are grateful for, and a great model for appreciating the many gifts you have in your life. Thanksgiving is the perfect time to share it.
Winnie the Pooh’s Thanksgiving
by Bruce Talkington, Illustrated by John Kurtz
Winnie the Pooh’s Thanksgiving is the most well-loved Thanksgiving story in our home. I have many fond memories of reading it to our kids as they were growing up. The long sentences and general length of the story was too much for some of the kindergarten classes I have had over the years, but worked well with first grade students.
Winnie the Pooh has called his friends together for a feast after becoming ‘suddenly aware’ of how special things like breakfasts, sunsets, birthdays, etc. can be. In his words:
“…I knew it was something I had to share with those I’m most grateful for.”
This statement leads to a conversation in which all of the animal friends share what they are grateful for. After every ‘smackeral’ is eaten, Christopher Robin joins the conversation and explains Thanksgiving.
Thanks for Thanksgiving
by Julie Markes, Illustrated by Doris Barrette
Thanks for Thanksgiving is a warm and delightful rhyming story with a just-right pace, making it a great choice for young children! Written in a first person narrative, each page begins with “Thank you for” or “Thanks for”, modeling the language of gratitude.
Rich with fall colors, this book shares a variety of things children might be grateful for any time of the year, (i.e. family, play dates, playground equipment, pets) and at Thanksgiving (i.e. food, traditions, signs of fall), making it relatable to a wide variety of kids.
Best wishes to you and yours for a Happy Thanksgiving, whether you’re celebrating with us this weekend, in Canada, or in a few weeks!
Ida Mae a.k.a. That Fun Reading Teacher
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