15 Thanksgiving Books That Keep Your Kids Focused on God

Here are 15 great faith-based, Christ-centered Thanksgiving books that keep your kids focused on God! 

This post was updated to include more books on 11/14/2019.

During the month of November, we often talk about what we are thankful for. And it’s so good to count our blessings, but it’s also very important to talk to our children about Who we are thankful to for all of these blessings!

I thought it would be really fun to share with you some of our favorite children’s books that can help our kids reflect an attitude of thanksgiving and put the focus on God, reinforcing the reason behind why we can be thankful!

There are book recommendations for young children up to preteens (our four kids range in age from 3 up to 11) that teach the historical account of what would later be known as the first Thanksgiving as well as reminding them of the many things God has done for us!

*** Originally I had 9 books, but now I’ve added 6 more as we’ve discovered more Christian books on Thanksgiving that will keep your kids focused on Jesus!

15 Christ-Centered Thanksgiving Books for Kids

1. My Thanksgiving Prayer Board Book

Engaging and colorful books for the littlest ones in your home!

2. God Gave Us Thankful Hearts

A sweet book great for toddlers and young preschoolers.

3. The Blessings Jar: A Story About Being Thankful

A sweet book for older toddlers and preschoolers (who will probably understand the point of the story a bit better)

4. The Berenstain Bears Give Thanks and Thanksgiving Blessings

Who doesn’t like the Berenstain Bears? My 5 year old loves these books!

5. Thank You, God: A Lift-the-Flap Book (From Kids Around The World)

I have not read this book but it looks sweet and a different take on thankfulness from the perspective of kids in many different countries!

6. P is for Pumpkin, God’s Harvest Alphabet

P is for Pumpkin celebrates the wonders of the fall season. With help from the alphabet, preschoolers journey through God’s harvest blessings―in the process discovering just how much there is to be thankful for!

7. Mary’s First Thanksgiving: An Inspirational Story of Gratefulness

We just discovered this book this year! I really like the reminders of thankfulness based on events of the first Thanksgiving. You can easily do a fun activity with this book and the kernels of corn mentioned in the story in your own home!

8. I Will Rejoice by Karma Wilson

Based on Psalm 118:24, I Will Rejoice is by one of my favorite children’s book authors. The book talks about appreciating the simple, everyday things we do. A fun book for my preschooler that encourages Scripture learning too!

9. The Fantastic Gifts of Fall by Dandi Mackall

We found this book just recently and wow do we like it! Even my 9 year old listened in ;) The book covers different things and events that center around fall and ends with a transition into winter. It includes a lot of Scripture references along with rhyming lines, like most of Dandi Mackall’s books, which I love. This book is part of the Seasons Series.

10. God Blesses Us with Thanksgiving Christian Children’s Books: A Read and Pray Book

This Thanksgiving storybook encourages not only reading but praying! Each prayer highlights a blessing of the Thanksgiving season. Your kids can also make a Thanksgiving table centerpiece and place cards with the included activity art!

11. Give Thanks to the Lord by Karma Wilson

A story that brings to life Psalm 62. This book is new for us this year, but we’ve read many other books by this author and have loved them! The artwork is beautiful too! Best for kids ages 5-9, in my opinion.

12. Bear Says Thanks by Karma Wilson

If you’ve ever read any of the Bear books by Karma Wilson, you’ll find this one equally as sweet! My son Jude especially loves the stories of Bear and his friends and they’re very relatable stories that have concepts even very young kids can grasp!

This isn’t an overtly Christian book (the author wrote Give Thanks to the Lord, pictured above, as well) but it does have great themes of sharing and blessing others.

13. Squanto and the Miracle of Thanksgiving by Eric Metaxas

I would recommend this book for children who are 7 and older, it is a bit of a sobering story but is a very interesting retelling of the upbringing and life of Squanto.

14. An Old-Fashioned Thanksgiving by Louisa May Alcott

For children ages 5-10, this book is a story of the Bassett family whose children cook the Thanksgiving meal on their own while their mother is out helping their grandmother. Teaches our kids about selflessness and showing love to others, even when we’re busy!

I had my 10 year old read this to her younger siblings last year!

15. 1621: A New Look at Thanksgiving 

This book has very beautiful photos that present images of what the First Thanksgiving really looked like (spoiler: no pumpkin pie!), taken by a National Geographic photographer. Excellent for ages 8-12.

Again, not overtly marketed as Christian, but the images help our kids understand what life was really like for the people who celebrated and praised God for His gifts by sharing their bounty together many centuries ago.

BONUS: Thanksgiving on Thursday – Magic Treehouse – Mary Pope Osborne

AND Pilgrims: A Nonfiction Companion to Magic Tree House #27: Thanksgiving on Thursday

The Magic Treehouse book is not marketed as a Christian book, but it was a good story, especially when combined with the nonfiction companion. I really appreciated how Mary Pope Osborne told the history of the Pilgrims’ journey in all its truth and didn’t leave out the WHY of their departure from England (wanting to worship God without fear of government restrictions). Great for ages 7 and up.

What faith-based Thanksgiving books do you like to read with your children? I’d love some new ideas so feel free to share in the comments!