Thanksgiving Storybooks to Check Out From the Manchester District Library

Thanksgiving is a time for family traditions and we have them just like every other family.  One of our traditions is library related. Every year when Thanksgiving rolls around, my family checks out Thanksgiving storybooks from the Manchester District Library. We keep them on a special shelf in our home and read them many times. Over the years we’ve discovered favorites. Here are five of our favorites:

Although we have copies checked out of these, there are many copies of each in the library network. All you need to do is ask a librarian for help to request your own copies to check out. 

One Little, Two Little, Three Little Pilgrims by B. G. Hennessy, illustrated by Lynne Cravath

This story of the first Thanksgiving is a catchy rewrite of “One Little, Two Little, Three Little Indians”. Pilgrim and Wompanoag children gather, hunt, and fish to get ready for the feast. My kids require that this book be sung instead of read.

Thanksgiving Door by Debby Atwell

In this story, Ann and Ed are all alone for Thanksgiving and because Ann burns the turkey, they decide to go to the New World Cafe, a restaurant run be recent immigrants. The only problem is that the restaurant is supposed to be closed for the family’s celebration. This misunderstanding leads to a wonderful and unexpected Thanksgiving for everyone.

Thanksgiving Bowl by Virginia Kroll, illustrations by Philomena O’Neill

A plastic bowl, part of one family’s Thanksgiving tradition, is blown away after pumpkin pie. Over the course of the next year, it manages to be useful to many before ending up back where it started, a year later.

Run, Turkey, Run! by Diane Mayr, illustrations by Laura Rader 

This new classic tells the story of a turkey disguising himself as other animals, all over the farm, to hide from the farmer and avoid being eaten for Thanksgiving dinner. Part of the appeal for the kids is that they get to yell “Run, turkey, run!”  everytime the farmer sees through the turkey's disguise.

Duck for Turkey Day by Jacqueline Jules, illustrations by Kathryn Mitter

Tuyet learns all about Thanksgiving in school. She learns about pilgrims and Native Americans, and she learns the everyone eats turkey. To her dismay, she discovers that her family is not cooking a Thanksgiving turkey, but a Thanksgiving duck instead.

These are just a few of the great holiday books you can get from our local library. When kids are wound up, and it's hard to keep the house calm, sitting them down with a pile of holiday books is a great way to bring the family together.

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by Sara Swanson

Sara Swanson is an editor, writer and founder of the Manchester Mirror.