I did this one in a story time with a Palestinian friend as a guest, and I was glad I did, because I might have slaughtered the Arabic language if I hadn’t had her help. Of course, there are sites online that help with pronunciation of foreign languages. This classic tale retold by Margaret Read McDonald and #OwnVoices Nadia Jameel Taibah would be a great addition to a counting themed story time.
Giving Thanks: A Native American Good Morning Message by #OwnVoices Chief Jake Swamp, perfect for those of us wanting to read a Native American book without stereo typical pilgrims and Indians. While it is not about the traditional Thanksgiving day, it is certainly about giving thanks from very first page. Beautifully animistic, this verse reminds us to be thankful for the very basic things in life, the sun, the moon, thunder, and brings a sense of renewed wonder of the world around us.
The Thank You Book by Mary Lyn Ray, pages filled with adorable animals and cute children of all ethnicities. This is another book about being grateful for the simple things in life, this time from a child’s perspective. Swings, and slides, and puddles, birthdays and glue and glitter, these are the things that children are grateful for.
Thanking the Moon: Celebrating the Mid-Autumn Moon Festival by Grace Lin teaches us about a Thanksgiving holiday from the other side of the world, the Chinese Mid-Autumn Moon Festival. Much is the same: food, family and thankfulness. And much is different. The family gathers outside under the moon and eat mooncakes and tea.
Salaam Alaikum: A Message of Peace by #OwnVoices Harris J is about kindness and people gathering together. The story starts with a boy who gives an umbrella to a woman without one, starting a chain of (kindness) events! I read this last year during my Thanksgiving story time and it was well received even though it is not your typical Thanksgiving book.
Last Stop on Market Street by #Own Voices Matt de La Pena isn’t a Thanksgiving book, but it is about looking on the bright side and being thankful for what you have. The book starts out with a grandma and grandson leaving church for the bus stop and ends at a soup kitchen. At every corner Nana finds something to be grateful for. A reminder to the audience that not everyone may be as lucky as they are, and to be happy for what we do have. And it ends with people gathering together around tables of food.
Thank You, Omu! by #OwnVoices Oge Mora. Omu makes a wonderfully scented stew that wafts through the neighborhood. Neighbor after neighbor stops by hinting for a taste. At the end of the day there is none left for Omu’s dinner! Her neighbors surprise her with their own potluck feast and they all gather together round the table.
The 12 Days of Thanksgiving by Jenna Lettice. This book riffs off the popular song the 12 Days of Christmas producing a cute counting book filled with pies and turkeys, squashes and apples. The cast of characters is multi-ethnic.
How to Catch a Turkey by Adam Wallace and Andy Elkerton is silly fun, starring a turkey with stage fright running from students at the school. It has a fun rhythmic text for a read aloud and the pages are filled with kids of all ethnicities.
This is the Turkey by Abby Levine plays off the nursery rhyme, This is the House that Jack Built. Another book with fantastic rhythm and rhymes for a read aloud and a cast of multi-ethnic characters.
