Thanksgiving is just around the corner. There are so many sights, sounds, tastes and traditions of the holiday that can be fun to share, and there are lots of amazing board books and picture books that highlight them. Check out these great Thanksgiving board books that range from silly to serious while tackling everything from turkey to giving thanks.
20 Best Thanksgiving Board Books & Picture Books
These Thanksgiving board books are great for toddlers, preschoolers and kindergarteners too! Don’t forget to check out the fun Thanksgiving activities for kids .
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Board Books
Corduroy’s Thanksgiving by Lisa McCue follows the familiar bear while he celebrates Thanksgiving with his friends. This brightly colored book touches on lots of traditions of the holiday in a simple story that young kids will be able to understand.
Llama Llama Gives Thanks by Anna Dewdney uses bright colors and short rhyming sentences to introduce kids to all the fun traditions of the holiday. Join Llama Llama and his family while they prepare yummy foods, host a party and more!
Happy Thanksgiving, Curious George by H.A. Rey is a tabbed board book full of festive short poems about the mischievous little monkey. Kids will love following George while he celebrates the holiday and stirs up his usual trouble.
The First Thanksgiving was written and illustrated by Nancy Davis. This lift-the-flap book is a great introduction to the First Thanksgiving for very young readers. The simple rhyming text and bright interactive illustrations will keep kids engaged while they learn about the Pilgrims and the Native Americans.
Five Silly Turkeys was written and illustrated by Salina Yoon. This fun counting book has kids count down from five while they watch the turkeys do a variety of silly things. The fabric feathers also offer kids a tactile method of counting down.
Bright Baby: Happy Thanksgiving by Roger Priddy uses vivid illustrations and photos to introduce young kids to some of the symbols, words and phrases that are commonly tied to Thanksgiving. This is a great book for teaching Thanksgiving vocabulary to very young readers.
I Love to Gobble You Up! by Sandra Magsamen is a fun turkey themed book for sharing your love with your little ones. The soft turkey feathers are fun for kids and the story can easily be made interactive as you kiss or gobble all the parts of your child.
The Itsy Bitsy Pilgrim was written by Jeffrey Burton and illustrated by Sanja Rescek. This festive spin on “The Itsy Bitsy Spider” follows a little Pilgrim as he sails over the ocean and celebrates the first Thanksgiving.
Thanksgiving Parade was written by Kelly Asbury and illustrated by Jodi Huelin. This brightly illustrated board book introduces kids to the fun tradition of the yearly Thanksgiving Parade in a simple rhyming text.
Happy Thanksgiving, Biscuit! was written by Alyssa Satin Capucilli and illustrated by Pat Schories. This sweet story follows the familiar puppy as he and his owner prepare for Thanksgiving. The story introduces kids to Thanksgiving traditions while the interactive flaps encourage them to be a part of the story.
Picture Books
The Night Before Thanksgiving was written by Natasha Wing and illustrated by Tammie Lyon. This seasonal spin on Clement Moore’s familiar “Night Before Christmas” poem follows a family as they prepare for and celebrate Thanksgiving with their family.
Thanksgiving Is for Giving Thanks! was written by Margaret Sutherland and illustrated by Sonja Lamut. This book is a great way to introduce the concept of gratitude and thankfulness to kids. The story explains that Thanksgiving is a day meant for giving thanks, and lists several things that kids may be thankful for.
Thanks for Thanksgiving was written by Julie Markes and illustrated by Doris Barrette. This beautifully illustrated book lists things to be thankful for in a sweet rhyming pattern. Kids and adults alike will recognize small things they are thankful for every day.
Pinkalicious: Thanksgiving Helper was written and illustrated by Victoria Kann. This colorful book follows Pinkalicious and her brother Peter as they try to help their parents prepare for Thanksgiving.
The Story of the Pilgrims was written by Katharine Ross and illustrated by Carolyn Croll. This book is a great introduction to the traditional story of the First Thanksgiving, told in a simple story format and accompanied by colorful illustrations.
A Plump And Perky Turkey was written by Teresa Bateman and illustrated by Jeff Shelly. This colorful story introduces readers to a group of townspeople who decide to trick a vain turkey into becoming their Thanksgiving dinner. The rhyming text is accompanied by bright and vivid illustrations, and kids will love the silly turkey and his antics.
Balloons over Broadway: The True Story of the Puppeteer of Macy’s Parade by Melissa Sweet tells the story of Tony Sarg, the puppeteer behind everyone’s favorite parade balloons. Through vivid mixed media illustrations, Sweet takes readers through his life and his invention of the famous balloons that we watch every year in the Thanksgiving parade.
A Turkey for Thanksgiving was written by Eve Bunting and illustrated by Diane deGroat. When Mrs. Moose decides she wants a real turkey for her Thanksgiving table, Mr. Moose goes in search of one. The sweet twist to the story and warm illustrations are sure to entertain both kids and parents.
Turkey Trouble was written by Wendy Silvano and illustrated by Lee Harper. As Thanksgiving nears, Turkey decides that he must disguise himself so he doesn’t become the main course at dinner. His imaginative disguises are shown in eye catching illustrations, and they will have kids laughing out loud!
There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Turkey! was written by Lucille Colandro and illustrated by Jared D. Lee. This festive take on the repetitive classic sees the little old lady swallowing all kinds of Thanksgiving symbols. Kids will enjoy the rhyming and repetition of the text as the story gets sillier and sillier!
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