Gobble Up These Awesome Thanksgiving Books

With Thanksgiving fast approaching (how did that happen?), I'm sure many of you are busy with meal and/or trip preparations. If you're running errands this weekend, stop by the library to pick up these Thanksgiving titles that are guaranteed to put you in the holiday spirit: 

If your family watches the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade, you'll want to read Balloons Over Broadway: The True Story of the Puppeteer of Macy's Parade. Tony Sarg's "upside down puppet" creations were innovative for their time, and are now the highlights of the parade. Although this is not necessarily a Thanksgiving title, it stands out among the standard turkey-and-pumpkin pie books that crowd the field. 

Celebrate Thanksgiving (part of National Geographic's excellent Holidays Around the World series) is one of the best nonfiction Thanksgiving titles for young readers; brief sections on the history, diverse celebrations (we see celebrations at school, a prayer service, families cooking their traditional cultural foods, meals served to service members and the homeless, etc), an acknowledgement that Thanksgiving is not a celebration for some Native Americans, and more give this a thorough but child-friendly approach to the holiday.

While Feast for 10 is not specifically about Thanksgiving, I use it every year in my pre-Thanksgiving story time. Although the family is preparing a chicken dinner instead of a turkey feast, this counting book that observes a large extended family shopping for, preparing, and enjoying a big meal is a great way to celebrate the family togetherness aspect of Thanksgiving.

If you have a short trip planned for Thanksgiving, I Spy Thanksgiving: Riddles would be a fun way to pass the time. Jean Marzollo's easy to read riddles and Walter Wick's appealing photography makes this a fine choice for reluctant readers.

Such a sweet story! This is a darling read aloud about a family preparing for the big Thanksgiving meal; everyone has a job to do, even baby (who mercifully sleeps quietly during the busyness). Sharing the Bread: An Old-Fashioned Thanksgiving Story is one of my new favorite Thanksgiving reads.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Jennifer Schultz, Youth Services Librarian, Fauquier County Public Library