Top 10 Thankful Books for November

Hi, friends! Are you looking for thankful books to share with your students in November? Check out this list of librarian tested and approved picture book read-alouds to inspire gratitude!

thankful picture books

The Thank You Book by Mary Lyn Ray

This gentle picture book explains the value of saying “thank you” for both big and small things in our lives. The cozy, diverse community of animals and people show gratitude for experiences from “glitter and glue” to parades and birthday cake, and the reader is encouraged to join them in saying, “thank you!”

The Thank You Book by Mo Willems

The 25th and final book in the Elephant and Piggie series shows Piggie saying thank you to everyone important to her, but somehow forgetting Gerald. In the end, Gerald reminds Piggie that they also need to thank someone important . . . the reader!

Feast for 10 by Cathryn Falwell

You’ll count from one to ten as a loving African-American family shops for food, then prepares dinner for their extended family. Although this book is focused on family and feasting, you can ask your students at the end to tell you something that this family is probably thankful for (making inferences).

We Are Grateful: Otsaliheliga by Traci Sorell

This thankful picture book shows a Cherokee extended family and activities that express gratitude through the changing seasons. Whether they are dancing at the Great New Moon Ceremony or playing stickball, they carry on their Cherokee culture, with gratitude as part of their daily life. Use the pronunciation guides on each page to help your students practice words in another language.

Thankful by Eileen Spinelli

Rhyming couplets list many things for which people are grateful, and a sister and brother illustrate those things, acting the part of a waitress and a fire fighter, among others. Both children are thankful for the books their mother reads to them.

Apple Cake by Dawn Casey

This thankful book features a little girl and her dog gathering the ingredients for a homemade apple cake and thanking the cows for the milk, the chickens for the eggs, and so on. Gentle, folksy illustrations are a perfect match for the cozy rhymes and the joyful main character.

Thank You, Omu by Oge Mora

In this 2019 Caldecott Honor book, generous grandmother Omu shares her delicious stew with many neighbors who follow the appetizing smell, enjoy the meal, then say, “thank you, Omu!” She has no stew left for her own dinner, but her community returns her generosity with a potluck feast.

The Thankful Book by Todd Parr

In typical Todd Parr style, this book is a colorful celebration of finding something every day for which to be thankful. Focusing on the little things like reading and hair could inspire students to draw their own “I’m thankful for” pictures.

Dozens of Doughnuts by Carrie Finison

Big black bear LouAnn is frying lots of doughnuts for her last big meal before hibernation. The more colorful doughnuts she cooks, the more her woodland friends eat, until LouAnn roars with hunger. Her friends find a way to thank her. Compare the front end pages to the back end pages with your students for a little bonus, and discuss ways that we can say “thank you” without words.

One is a Feast for a Mouse by Judy Cox

Resourceful Mouse makes a feast for himself with the leftovers from the humans’ Thanksgiving dinner. After a run-in with hungry Cat, Mouse is left with one “teensy-tiny, round and toothsome, green and luscious pea,” and he is still thankful. Talk to your students about small things that we can be thankful for.

More than Thankful Books

The links above are Amazon affiliate links, which means that I earn a small commission if you choose to make a purchase. I only recommend products that I have used myself and loved or that other librarians have recommended to me.

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