Happy Tuesday, kidlit friends! What’s everyone doing for Thanksgiving this year? We are going to my sister’s small farm, about 2-3 hours away. It’s a long drive, but my daughter enjoys seeing all the animals. Today, I review four children’s books about Thanksgiving as well as two new releases.
Indulge your inner book nerd and join a community of like-minded readers looking to expand their knowledge and their TBR. Subscribe to The Deep Dive, where Book Riot’s editorial staff draws from their collective expertise to bring you compelling stories, informed takes, tips, hacks, and more. Find out why the bestseller list is broken, analyze some anticipated books, and explore the great wide world of books and publishing. Get a free subscription for weekly content delivered to your inbox, or upgrade to paid-for bonus content and community features.
Bookish Goods
Thanks, Books Button by CherylsDoodlesStudio
What better way for readers to say thanks for what they love most while bragging about being smarter than everyone else than with this cute button? $4+
New Releases
The House with 100 Stories by Toshio Iwai
This nonsensical picture book really captured my daughter’s imagination. To portray the height of the 100-story house, the book is designed to be read and turned vertically instead of horizontally. Tochi has been invited to play at the top of a 100-story house. As he makes his way up, he finds various animals occupying each floor and carrying out their daily tasks, like frogs getting rained on while drinking tea and munching on worms, skateboarding snails, a snake with a toothache, and so much more. It’s an imaginative read.
Boys Don’t Fry by Kimberly Lee, illustrated by Charlene Chua
This scrumptious picture book takes place during Lunar New Year celebrations and is an ode to the author’s Peranakan Chinese heritage. Jin wishes he could help prepare the Lunar New Year feast, but his aunties say the kitchen is no place for a boy. However, when Jin’s grandmother—Mamah—overhears his request, she insists he join her in the kitchen. The two prepare dish after dish, sharing laughter and stories and recipes as they do. A recipe for Peranakan Pongteh chicken is included in the back.
For a more comprehensive list of new releases, check out our New Books newsletter.
Riot Recommendations
Thanksgiving in the U.S. is coming up, so I thought I would put together a list of Thanksgiving-themed children’s books.
Colonization and the Wampanoag Story by Linda Coombs
This nonfiction middle grade tells the story of Thanksgiving from the Indigenous perspective. Each chapter alternates between two perspectives: a fictional narrative titled “When Life Was Our Own,” which follows Little Bird of the Wampanoag tribe and her family and their daily lives. The other section is nonfiction, which further explores topics shown in the fiction section. It’s an excellent nonfiction for kids.
Keepunumuk: Weeâchumun’s Thanksgiving Story by Danielle Greendeer, Anthony Perry, and Alexis Bunten, illustrated by Garry Meeches Sr.
This picture book also explores Thanksgiving from the Indigenous Wampanoag perspective but for younger readers. It opens with N8hkumuhs planting weeâchumun (corn), beans, and squash, or the Three Sisters, in her garden with her grandchildren. They ask her about the true story of Thanksgiving, and she tells them of how they were warned of the Pilgrims’ arrival and how their ancestors taught the Pilgrims how to plant corn, beans, and squash to survive. This is the book elementary-aged readers need to be reading about the holiday.
Harvest Days: Giving Thanks Around the World by Kate DePalma, illustrated by Martina Peluso
This lyrical, rhyming picture book explores 12 harvest festivals and traditions from around the world. In Bolivia, people gather in the streets on the last day of the Carnival season to celebrate Martes de Challa. In Tamil Nadu, India, children and adults thank the cows on the third day of Pongal. Back matter includes a calendar of harvest festivals and more information about harvest season and the festivals presented.
Twelve Dinging Doorbells by Tameka Fryer Brown, illustrated by Ebony Glenn
This delightful picture book is set to the tune of “The Twelve Days of Christmas” and features a sweet potato pie-loving girl celebrating a food-filled holiday with her family. More and more family members and neighbors arrive laden with delicious food to share, but while the narrator helps with the food, what she’s really craving is her grandmother’s sweet potato pie. While this picture book doesn’t specify a holiday, it’s a great read for Thanksgiving.
I haven’t been able to hike as much this fall as I normally do, but we were all finally feeling well enough to take a family hike last Sunday. I’m thankful we have so many beautiful places to hike nearby.
If you’d like to read more of my kidlit reviews, I’m on Instagram @BabyLibrarians, Twitter @AReaderlyMom, and blog irregularly at Baby Librarians. You can also read my Book Riot posts. If you’d like to drop me a line, my email is kingsbury.margaret@gmail.com.
All the best,
Margaret Kingsbury