As a Media Specialist, there is NEVER enough money in the budget to provide enough holiday specific books for the entire school. I had to get creative and controlling in an effort to ensure that every student (and teacher) had the opportunity to find books for any upcoming holiday. Students were scheduled to attend activity (aka specials) classes during the teacher planning time. Creating displays that would not be totally wiped out in one day was the challenge, the control came in because I had to replenish the display every 40 minutes for the next class. I hated limiting books available for students, but it was a task I HAD to do for equality.
A visit to the media center isn’t complete without reading a story, or beginning a chapter book that would be completely out of circulation because I would be reading to every class for the next X number of weeks. It took MONTHS to read one book because of the once a week schedule. Time was ALWAYS allotted for a short book reading.
These are some Thanksgiving books students and teachers enjoyed. Nothing replaces the teacher read aloud, but I’ve found many read alouds of the books with a simple You tube search.
Gracias The Thanksgiving Turkey
In this warm holiday story, a young Puerto Rican boy saves the life of his pet turkey with help from his close-knit New York City family and neighborhood. Beginning Spanish vocabulary is woven into the text. Four color.
A Plump And Perky Turkey
Turkeys around Squawk Valley just don’t jump into pots anymore—they are way too smart for that. So the townspeople hatch a clever plan. They host a turkey-themed arts and crafts fair and lure a vain bird into town by advertising for an artist’s model. Peter the Turkey, proud of his well-stuffed form, takes the bait but doesn’t fall for the trap.
‘Twas the Night Before Thanksgiving
The incomparable Pilkey adapts the classic Christmas poem to tell his wacky Thanksgiving tale. The day before Thanksgiving, eight boys and girls take a field trip to a turkey farm. They have fun playing with eight exuberant turkeys but are shocked to learn that Farmer Mack Nuggett plans to kill all the turkeys for Thanksgiving dinners! So the children decide to smuggle all the turkeys home, and all their Thanksgiving dinners become vegetarian this year. The turkeys’ lives are saved!
Students will enjoy this reading perfect for the entire class through the use of your projector.
Cranberry Thanksgiving
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? After a long absence this delightful 1971 classic is back. So is Grandmother’s secret recipe!
The Thanksgiving Story
In this festive Caldecott Honor–winning picture book, Alice Dalgiesh brings to life the origin of the Thanksgiving holiday for readers of all ages.
Giles, Constance and Damaris Hopkins are all passengers aboard the crowded Mayflower, journeying to the New World to start a new life. Things get a little more cramped when their baby brother Oceanus is born during the passage. However, when they arrive, there are even worse challenges to face as the Pilgrims are subjected to hunger, cold, and sickness that put their small colony in great danger. With the help of the Native Americans though, they might just be able to survive their first year in this strange land—and have a November harvest to celebrate for generations!
A Turkey for Thanksgiving
Mr. and Mrs. Moose invite all their animal friends for Thanksgiving dinner and the only one missing is Turkey. When they set out to find him, Turkey is quaking with fear because he doesn’t realize that his hosts want him at their table, not on it.
How Many Days to America?: A Thanksgiving Story
After the police come, a family is forced to flee their Caribbean island and set sail for America in a small fishing boat.
Balloons over Broadway: The True Story of the Puppeteer of Macy’s Parade
Everyone’s a New Yorker on Thanksgiving Day, when young and old rise early to see what giant new balloons will fill the skies for Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. Who first invented these “upside-down puppets”? Meet Tony Sarg, puppeteer extraordinaire! In brilliant collage illustrations, Caldecott Honor artist Melissa Sweet tells the story of the puppeteer Tony Sarg, capturing his genius, his dedication, his zest for play, and his long-lasting gift to America—the inspired helium balloons that would become the trademark of Macy’s Parade
Mouse on the Mayflower DVD
Great video for elementary kids. The Mayflower journey as see thru the experiences of a church mouse.
Molly’s Pilgrim
Molly and her parents are a Jewish family who have emigrated from Russia to the United States to escape religious persecution. Molly is the only Jewish child in third grade.
When Thanksgiving arrives, the teacher assigns a project to make a Pilgrim doll. Molly is embarrassed by her mother’s attempts to help with her Thanksgiving project. She makes a pilgrim doll — but dresses it in Russian clothing. Soon, however, Molly learns that it takes all kinds of “pilgrims” to make a Thanksgiving.
The Squirrel’s Thanksgiving
Papa Squirrel says Buddy and Brenda should be grateful for friends and family at Thanksgiving. But these squirrel siblings just can’t get along.
Please comment with your favorite Thanksgiving books.
Gracias, The Thanksgiving Turkey