Education Blog

The current Collection Spotlight highlights books about Thanksgiving (the holiday) as well as the broader theme of gratitude and giving thanks. Please drop by the branch and visit the display located on the main level breezeway.

Below are just some of the books on display. Click on the title or book cover below to take you to the record in the UBC Library catalogue.

See our Seasons and Celebrations booklist for a list of selected teacher resources, picture books, and non-fiction related to different community celebrations throughout the year.

If you’re thankful and you know it / Chrissy Bozik; illustrated by Patricia Storms.
This Thanksgiving celebration is versioned on “If you’re happy and you know it.” Here, families, neighbours and friends gather to give thanks for everything the season has to offer: from changing leaves to turkey and pies; from a hockey game to a cozy sweater. And most of all, for the warm memories of time spent together with loved ones. A perfect reminder any time of the year of the things that are important, and to stop and be grateful.

Around the table that grandad built / Melanie Heuiser Hill; illustrated by Jaime Kim.
In a unique take on the cumulative classic “This Is the House That Jack Built,” a family gathers with friends and neighbors to share a meal around a table that brims with associations: napkins sewn by Mom, glasses from Mom and Dad’s wedding, silverware gifted to Dad by his grandma long ago. Not to mention the squash from the garden, the bread baked by Gran, and the pies made by the young narrator (with a little help). Serving up a diverse array of dishes and faces, this warm and welcoming story is poised to become a savored part of Thanksgiving traditions to come. A beautifully illustrated celebration of bounty and gratitude, family and friendship, perfect for the holidays and every day.

The perfect Thanksgiving / by Eileen Spinelli; illustrated by JoAnn Adinolfi.
Two families–one that is perfect and one that is far from it–celebrate Thanksgiving in their own loving ways.

The memory cupboard: a Thanksgiving story / by Charlotte Herman; illustrated by Ben F. Stahl.
For Katie, nothing compares to Thanksgiving at Grandma’s. There are the aunts and uncles, whom Katie loves to see each year. But a cherished object is broken at dinner, and Katie blames herself for spoiling the day.

Thelonius Turkey lives! : (on Felicia Ferguson’s farm) / Lynn Rowe Reed.
As Thanksgiving Day approaches, Thelonius Turkey becomes worried when Felicia the farmer starts to fatten him up and pluck his feathers.

Thanksgiving day / Dorothy Goeller.
Simple text and photographs present a story with a Thanksgiving theme.

Thank you, Thanksgiving / by David Milgrim.
While on a Thanksgiving Day errand for her mother, a girl says thank you to all the things around her.

Hello, harvest moon / by Ralph Fletcher; illustrated by Kate Kiesler.
Poetic prose describes a full autumn moon and the magical effect it has on the earth, plants, animals, and people around it.

The autumn equinox: celebrating the harvest / Ellen Jackson; illustrated by Jan Davey Ellis.
Discusses the significance of some of the harvest festivals around the world and describes how they are celebrated.

The Thank You Book / by Mo Willems
In The Thank You Book, Piggie wants to thank EVERYONE. But Gerald is worried Piggie will forget someone . . . someone important.