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Gobble, gobble y’all – looking for the BEST picture books for Thanksgiving for upper elementary to read aloud?
I have a fabulous list that you and your students will love to bring in some seasonal fun to your November.
Also, please know that I have read A LOT of Thanksgiving books.
I kept this list to 5 books because I want it to be a list of five books that you will absolutely not go wrong reading.
I have a lot of things that I like in a read-aloud: length (not too short but not too long), fun illustrations, entertaining, and heartwarming.
All these books fill my perfect read-aloud quota 🙂
If I missed one of your favorites, please let me know in the comments! I LOVE read-alouds and adore getting new ideas.
All the book links to follow are Amazon Affiliate links.
Want a FREE Thanksgiving multiplication activity?!
You will love this Thanksgiving digital mystery pixel art.
As students answer multiplication problems, a mystery Thanksgiving picture appears.
So cool, right?!
Leave your name and email below to get it sent immediately to your inbox 🙂
I would bet that out of the five books that I listed – this is the one that you are most likely to have read!
Every year this would be the book that was ALWAYS checked out from the library and I could never get my hands on it, so either check it out early or grab a copy of your own to read year after year.
This book tells the story of how the big balloons came to be at the Macy’s Day Parade, thanks to the puppeteer Tony Sarg.
Hearing how he engineered the balloons is fascinating, and a good example for students to see how our minds can remain persistent in solving a problem and eventually find success.
This is also a great read-aloud to read, then do a fun STEAM related project like creating your own balloons and having a mini classroom parade!
Click HERE to check it out!
This is a sweet and heartwarming story that your students will absolutely enjoy.
A Jewish immigrant family from Germany is in America and ready to celebrate Thanksgiving for the first time.
After winning a (live) turkey in a raffle at work, the family starts planning what their Thanksgiving is going to look like this year.
The turkey becomes a good friend, so things work out a little differently than they expect.
The author learns that a Thanksgiving celebration will look different for everyone, and that family and cultural traditions can be assimilated into a Thanksgiving celebration!
This is a great book to read and then have students share if they have any family traditions on Thanksgiving.
Click HERE to check it out!
This story is a personal narrative about the author’s Thanksgiving that she celebrated every year with 200 other people in the woods (how stinking fun is that?!).
This book perfectly captures everything that the author sees, hears, and feels as a child during this community celebration.
Person after person arrives to the Thanksgiving in the woods celebration, preparing for the big feast.
Lesson idea! This book also works well to first read aloud, then have students write a descriptive story about a usual Thanksgiving celebration in their homes.
Click HERE to check it out!
This book tells the history of how Thanksgiving became a national holiday through the acts of Sarah Hale.
Sarah Hale writes letters to everyone that she can, year after year, pushing to make Thanksgiving a holiday that is celebrated all over the United States.
You’ll see the persistence of Sarah Hale as she works effortlessly to bring a divided country together through a simple holiday.
This book is super interesting – I didn’t know the history of Thanksgiving becoming a national holiday.
Click HERE to check it out!
If you’re looking for something lighthearted and just plain fun – this is it.
This book is silly tale about a boy and his cousin who are on a mission to get out of the “baby room” at their Thanksgiving get-together, and sneak out to the jungle gym!
This book has a lot of funny parts (ahem…. Wall of Butts) that are sure to get your students laughing.
Click HERE to check it out!
So you now have picture books for Thanksgiving… but do you need more Thanksgiving?!
You NEED my Thanksgiving reading comprehension color by numbers!
Kids first read the passage.
Next, they answer comprehension questions.
Each comprehension question answer choice dictates a color next to it (like green, red, blue, etc.).
Students will color the coded picture based on the answer that they choose.
You receive 5 passages with questions. Each passage has 4 questions. There is also an answer key.
Each passage has an answer key as well as a completed colored picture.
The best part? No prep work needed! Just print and pass out!
Click HERE to check it out.
I have a super fun Thanksgiving multiplication activity that your students will LOVE!
This digital pixel art is the perfect math center (you can read it more about it HERE).
As students answer multiplication problems, a mystery Thanksgiving picture appears.
So cool, right?!
Leave your name and email below to get it sent immediately to your inbox 🙂
Hey there, I’m Kelly! I I love helping teachers save time with technology and resources so they have more hours in the day to spend with family and friends. Take a look around to find new ideas that you can implement in your classroom today!
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