Thank You, Sarah: The Woman Who Saved Thanksgiving

By Laurie Halse Anderson, Illustrated by Matt Faulkner

The holiday might have started with a jubilant feast on Plymouth’s shore. But by the 1800s, America’s observance was waning. None of the presidents nor congress sought to revive the holiday. And so one invincible “lady editor” named Sarah Hale took it upon herself to rewrite the recipe for Thanksgiving as we know it today. In 1863, Hale’s thirty-five years of petitioning and orations got Abraham Lincoln thinking. He signed the Thanksgiving Proclamation that very year, declaring it a national holiday. 

Balloons Over Broadway: The True Story of the Puppeteer of Macy’s Parade

By Melissa Sweet

Everyone’s a New Yorker on this special day, when young and old rise early to see what giant new balloons will fill the skies for Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. Who first invented these “upside-down puppets”? Meet Tony Sarg, puppeteer extraordinaire! 

Molly’s Pilgrim

By Barbara Cohen, Illustrated by Daniel Mark Duffy

This touching story tells how recent Russian Jewish immigrant Molly leads her third-grade class to discover that it takes all kinds of pilgrims to make a Thanksgiving. Based on a true story. 

1621: A New Look at Thanksgiving

By Catherine O’Neill Grace

Countering the prevailing, traditional story of the first Thanksgiving, this illustrated photo-essay presents a more measured, balanced, and historically accurate version of the three-day harvest celebration in 1621.

If You Were a Kid at the First Thanksgiving

By Melissa Sarno, Illustrated by Lluis Farre

As one of the few young children living in the Plymouth colony, Miles Allterton is always looking to make new friends. In a nearby Wampanoag settlement, a girl named Aquina wants to hunt with her father and brothers. When the two children meet during preparations for a harvest feast, they quickly strike up a friendship. Readers will follow along as the children and their families attend the first Thanksgiving celebration. 7-9 years

Thanksgiving in the White House

By Gary Hines, Illustrated by Alexandra Wallner

President Abraham Lincoln’s youngest son, Tad, is very fond of Jack the turkey. He has tamed him and taught him tricks. The bird follows him all around the White House yard. But Jack was meant to be the main dish of the first official Thanksgiving celebration. Tad doesn’t want his pet to be eaten for dinner, not even for a day as special as this. Can he convince his father to save Jack’s life?

What Was the First Thanksgiving?

By Joan Holub, Illustrated by Lauren Mortimer

The history of the feast! After their first harvest in 1621, the Pilgrims at Plymouth shared a three-day feast with their Native American neighbors. Of course, the Pilgrims and the Wampanoag didn’t know it at the time, but they were making history, celebrating what would become a national holiday.

Squanto’s Journey: The Story of the First Thanksgiving

By Joseph Bruchac, Illustrated by Greg Shed

In 1620, an English ship called the Mayflower landed on the shore inhabited by the Pokanoket. It was Squanto who welcomed the newcomers and taught them how to survive. When a good harvest was gathered, the people feasted together — a tradition that continues almost four hundred years later.

Sarah Gives Thanks: How Thanksgiving Became a National Holiday

By Mike Allegra, Illustrated by David Gardner

During the nineteenth century, Sarah Josepha Hale dedicated her life to making Thanksgiving a national holiday, while raising a family and becoming a groundbreaking writer and women’s magazine editor. Sarah Hale’s inspiring story is the tale of one woman who wouldn’t take no for an answer.

You may like Abraham Lincoln Pardons a Turkey https://barbaralowell.com/lincoln-pardons-a-turkey

If you like this post, then please consider sharing it and leaving a comment below. Thank you! Barbara Lowell, Children’s Author