We could all use a little help expressing gratitude, especially during the holiday months. These books teach kids about being thankful, giving selflessly, lessons about friendship, and more.
All the World
By Liz Garton Scanlon
Grades: Preschool to 3rd grade
This book affirms the importance of all things great and small in our world, from the tiniest shell on the beach, to warm family connections, to the widest sunset sky.
An Awesome Book of Thanks
By Dallas Clayton
Grades: Preschool to 3rd Grade
Content: Gratitude for what what you have
This book conveys all the ways one can be thankful, and all the different things in life to be thankful for.
Andy and the Lion
By James Henry Daugherty
Grades: Preschool to 2nd Grade
Content: Gratitude for friends
In this retelling of Androcles and the Lion, Andy meets a lion on the way to school and wins his friendship for life by removing a thorn from his paw.
Bear Says Thanks
By Karma Wilson
Grades: Preschool to 3rd Grade
Content: Gratitude for friends
Young readers will delight in discovering the special gift Bear has to share.
Did I Ever Tell You How Lucky You Are?
By Dr. Seuss
Grades: Preschool to 4th Grade
This Dr. Seuss classic helps readers of all ages realize just how lucky they truly are.
Giving Thanks
By Jake Swamp
Grades: Preschool to 2nd Grade
Giving Thanks is a special children’s version of the Thanksgiving Address, a message of gratitude that originated with the Native people of upstate New York and Canada and that is still spoken at ceremonial gatherings held by the Iroquois, or Six Nations.
Grateful: A Song of Giving Thanks
By John Buccino
Grades: Preschool to 2nd Grade
A loving reminder of the gifts available to us when we approach life with gratitude.
Gratitude Soup
By Olivia Rosewood
Grades: Preschool to 3rd Grade
Violet the Purple Fairy learns how to make Gratitude Soup by thinking of all the things, people, places, and experiences that she is grateful for, putting them in an imaginary soup pot.
It Could Always Be Worse
By Margot Zemach
Grades: Preschool to 3rd grade
Once upon a time a poor unfortunate man lived with his mother, his wife, and his six children in a one-room hut. He learns that things could indeed be worse in this lovely tale.
Just So Thankful
By Mercer Mayer
Grades: Preschool to 2nd Grade
There’s a new kid in town who has everything Little Critter wants — a Super Streak scooter, his own cell phone, and even a limousine! But Little Critter soon realizes that he has something money cannot buy — a family who loves and adores him.
Secret of Saying Thanks
By Douglas Wood
Grades: Preschool to 3rd Grade
A spiritual homage to the natural world that portrays all of the many ways to say thanks for the wonders we sometimes take for granted.
Splat Says Thank You!
By Rob Scotton
Grades: Preschool to 3rd Grade
Splat the Cat’s trusty mouse friend, Seymour, needs cheering up, and Splat wants to help. He lists all the sweet and often hilarious reasons Splat is thankful for their friendship.
Sylvester and the Magic Pebble
By William Steig
Grades: Preschool to 2nd Grade
Sylvester can’t believe his luck when he finds a magic pebble that can make wishes come true. This winner of the Caldecott Medal is beloved by children everywhere.
Thanks a Million
By Nikki Grimes
Grade: 1st Grade to 5th Grade
A collection of poems about feeling thankful, and how powerful a “thank you” can be.
The Berenstain Bears Count Their Blessings
By Stan Berenstain
Grades: Preschool to 2nd Grade
During a thunderstorm, Mama Bear gets her cubs to realize that love and a good home are much more valuable than material possessions.
The Giving Tree
By Shel Silverstein
Grades: Preschool to 3rd Grade
This is a tender story, is a moving parable for readers of all ages that offers an interpretation of the gift of giving.
The Thankful Book
By Todd Parr
Grades: Preschool to 1st Grade
Celebrates all the little things children can give thanks for. From everyday activities like reading and bathtime to big family meals together and special alone time between parent and child.
There’s a Flower at the Tip of My Nose Smelling Me
By Alice Walker
Grades: Kindergarten and up
Pulitzer Prize-winning author Alice Walker invites readers young and old to see the world — and our place in it — through new eyes.
Those Shoes
By Maribeth Boelts
Grades: Preschool to 3rd Grade
All Jeremy wants is a pair of those shoes, the ones everyone at school seems to be wearing. But Jeremy soon sees that the things he has — warm boots, a loving grandma, and the chance to help a friend — are worth more than the things he wants.