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Top 17 Thanksgiving Picture Books for Speech and Language Therapy

Like I discussed in a previous blog last month, fall is one of my absolute favorite seasons and I love all of the themes that go with it. Back in October, I compiled a Speech Therapy Big List for Fall that includes links to all sorts of my favorite therapy materials for fall. I knew then that I needed to make a book list to go with it. Well, now that it is time for Thanksgiving, I wanted to create another huge picture book list for this special holiday. Today’s blog will feature the top 17 Thanksgiving picture books for speech and language that you need to know! You can use any of the fall favorite therapy items from my Big Fall List with most of these picture books as well. Enjoy! There are affiliate links included. To see more book reviews including how I use a book for therapy, please follow along on Instagram @SpeechRoomLibrary.

Books about the Macy’s Day Parade

  1. Balloons over Broadway by Melissa Sweet 
  • 📊Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
  • ✏️ Summary: Everyone’s a New Yorker on Thanksgiving 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! In brilliant collage illustrations, the award-winning artist Melissa Sweet tells the story of the puppeteer Tony Sarg, capturing his genius, his dedication, his zest for play, and his long-lasting gift to America—the inspired helium balloons that would become the trademark of Macy’s Parade.
  • 👄 Speech Sounds: L, R blends, R, S, S blends
  • 🧠 Language: Sequencing, WH questions, vocabulary
  • 📱 AAC: up, new, make
  • 👑 Book Type: picture book, non-fiction
  • 🌳 Themes: Thanksgiving, 
  • 👦🏽 👧🏻 Ages: elementary. Picture books for big kids
  1. Milly And The Macy’s Parade by Shana Corey and Brett Helquist

(Use the free youtube version or get from your local library! It is too expensive on Amazon!)

  • 📊Publisher: Scholastic Press
  • ✏️ Summary: In the spirit of “Miracle on 34th Street” comes a heartwarming holiday story based on the true origins of the Macy’s Parade ,endorsed by Macy’s. A stunning picture book debut from artist Brett Helquist. The Macy’s Parade is a treasured American pastime. But few people know that the first parade in 1924 was organized by immigrant employees at Macy’s eager to incorporate their old-world traditions into their new American heritage. W/ facility & flair, Shana Corey tells the fictional story of a Polish immigrant girl who helps envision this grand event. Brett Helquist’s expressive, exquisitely detailed paintings are like holiday window displays come to life. Author & artist evoke the glamour & nostalgia of another era as well as the pride of what it means to be American.
  • 👄 Speech Sounds: R, S, L
  • 🧠 Language: sequencing, perspective taking, character traits, describing
  • 📱 AAC: in, sad, happy, together, home
  • 👑 Book Type: picture book
  • 🌳 Themes: Thanksgiving
  • 👦🏽 👧🏻 Ages: elementary

Books about traditional Thanksgiving

  1. One Is a Feast for Mouse: A Thanksgiving Tale by Judy Cox, Illustrated by Jeffrey Ebbeler
  • 📊Publisher: Holiday House
  • ✏️ Summary: The Thanksgiving feast is over. Leftover turkey and pumpkin pie litter the table. Mouse peeps out of his hidey-hole and spots a small green pea. the perfect feast for one mouse. Yes, one green pea, one red cranberry, one plate of mashed potatoes, and one roasted turkey, that should make a very fine feast for Mouse. But can he get it all back to his hidey-hole?
  • 👄 Speech Sounds: F, S, S blends
  • 🧠 Language: positional concepts, descriptive adjectives, action words, inferencing, past tense verbs, verb+ing
  • 📱 AAC: one, up, top, more, down
  • 👑 Book Type: Picture Book
  • 🌳 Themes: Thanksgiving
  • 👦🏽 👧🏻 Ages: Preschool, Early Elementary
  1.  Around the Table that Grandad Built 

by Melanie Heuiser Hill, Illustrated by Jaime Kim

  • 📊Publisher: Candlewick Press
  • ✏️ Summary: 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.
  • 👄 Speech Sounds: S, Z, R blends
  • 🧠 Language: vocabulary, WH questions, past tense verbs
  • 📱 AAC: by, that, go, these
  • 👑 Book Type: picture book
  • 🌳 Themes: Thanksgiving
  • 👦🏽 👧🏻 Ages: preschool
  1. Thanksgiving in the Woods by Phyllis Alsdurf & Illustrations by Jenny Lovlie
  • 📊Publisher: Sparkhouse Family
  • ✏️ Summary: Every year a family and their friends gather in the woods to celebrate Thanksgiving among the trees. Everyone brings something to share and the day becomes a long celebration of family, faith, and friendship. Told in a gentle, lyrical style, this picture book includes warm illustrations of people gathered around bonfires and long tables adorned with candles and food, singing songs and sharing laughter.
  • Thanksgiving in the Woods is based on the true story of a family in Upstate New York who has hosted an outdoor Thanksgiving feast in the woods on their farm for over twenty years.
  • 👄 Speech Sounds: TH, R blends, R, S, S blends
  • 🧠 Language: vocabulary, sequencing, transition words, verb + ing, pronouns, sequencing, predicting, 
  • 📱 AAC: together, all, go, wait, come
  • 👑 Book Type: Picture Book, diverse characters, 
  • 🌳 Themes: Thanksgiving, family
  • 👦🏽 👧🏻 Ages: Preschool, Early Elementary
  1. The Thankful Book by Todd Parr

I am thankful for music because it makes me want to dance.

I am thankful for my feet because they help me run and play.

I am thankful for kisses because they make me feel loved.

Todd Parr’s bestselling books have taught kids about unconditional love, respecting the earth, facing fears, and more, all with his signature blend of playfulness and sensitivity. Now, The Thankful Book 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, Todd inspires readers to remember all of life’s special moments. The perfect book to treasure and share, around the holidays and throughout the year.

  1. The Great Thanksgiving Escape by Mark Fearing
  • 📊Publisher: Candlewick
  • ✏️ Summary: It’s another Thanksgiving at Grandma’s. Gavin expects a long, boring day full of pesky toddlers, but his cousin Rhonda has a different idea: make a break for it to the swing set in the backyard! Gavin isn’t so sure, especially when they encounter vicious guard dogs (in homemade sweaters), overly affectionate aunts, and worst of all, the great wall of butts. Can they avoid all the obstacles and find some fun before turkey time?
  • 👄 Speech Sounds: G, K, R
  • 🧠 Language: Same and different, positional concepts, “they” pronoun
  • 📱 AAC: out, in, get, help
  • 👑 Book Type: picture book
  • 🌳 Themes: Thanksgiving
  • 👦🏽 👧🏻 Ages: preschool
  1. I Know an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Pie 

by Alison Jackson, Illustrated by Judy Schachner 

  • 📊Publisher: Puffin Books
  • ✏️ Summary: And with that the feast begins! After the pie the old lady swallows a whole squash, all of the salad, and the entire turkey! As Mother and Father watch in shock, the two children are delighted to see the old lady growing fatter and fatter. And, in the end, the old lady makes a surprising and humorous contribution to the holiday festivities.
  • 👄 Speech Sounds: S blends, L, S
  • 🧠 Language: Sequencing, cause/effect, vocabulary
  • 📱 AAC: know, eat
  • 👑 Book Type: picture book, repetitive book
  • 🌳 Themes: Thanksgiving
  • 👦🏽 👧🏻 Ages: Preschool, Early Elementary
  1. There was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Turkey 

by Lucille Colandro, Illustrated by Jared Lee

  • 📊Publisher: Scholastic
  • ✏️ Summary: You won’t believe why this old lady swallowed
  • a turkey, a ball, a hat, a balloon, a boat, some wheels, and
  • a horn of plenty!
  • 👄 Speech Sounds: L, S blends, K, R
  • 🧠 Language: sequencing, predicting, past tense verbs
  • 📱 AAC: eat, don’t, why, know
  • 👑 Book Type: picture book, repetitive book
  • 🌳 Themes: Thanksgiving
  • 👦🏽 👧🏻 Ages: Preschool, Early Elementary
  1.  How to Catch a Turkey by Adam Wallace and Andy Elkerton
  • 📊Publisher: Sourcebooks Jabberwocky
  • ✏️ Summary: A turkey is running loose in a school right before a Thanksgiving play. Can YOU help catch it? Follow along as students turn their school upside down trying to catch the turkey, ending with a twist that ensures no turkeys are harmed (or eaten!).
  • Thanksgiving time is here again,
  • but there’s a turkey on the run!
  • Can you catch this tricky bird
  • before the school play has begun?
  • 👄 Speech Sounds: R, K, R blends, S blends, TH
  • 🧠 Language: sequencing, prediction and inferencing, vocabulary wh questions, action words, transition words
  • 📱 AAC: go, stop, look, get
  • 👑 Book Type: picture book, rhyming book
  • 🌳 Themes: Thanksgiving
  • 👦🏽 👧🏻 Ages: elementary

Books about diverse cultures

During the Thanksgiving season, it is best to make sure that books don’t portray Thanksgiving simply as “Native Americans and pilgrims happy together.” It is fun to read books that have deeper meaning behind them and good for your students to learn about all aspects of Thanksgiving and what it means. Of course you want to make sure that you preview all books before you use them in the therapy setting. 

If you need some books that cover other cultures as well during Thanksgiving, I have you covered:

  1. Duck for Turkey Day by Jacqueline Jules Picture by Kathryn Mitter
  • 📊Publisher: Albert Whitman & Company
  • ✏️ Summary: It’s almost Thanksgiving, and Tuyet is excited about the holiday and the vacation from school. There’s just one problem: her Vietnamese American family is having duck for Thanksgiving dinner – not turkey! Nobody has duck for Thanksgiving – what will her teacher and the other kids think? To her surprise, Tuyet enjoys her yummy thanksgiving dinner anyhow – and an even bigger surprise is waiting for her at school on Monday. Dinners from roast beef to lamb to enchiladas adorned the Thanksgiving tables of her classmates, but they all had something in common – family! Kids from families with different traditions will enjoy this warm story about “the right way” to celebrate an American holiday.
  • 👄 Speech Sounds: R, K, TH
  • 🧠 Language: same/different, compare/contrast, social emotional learning, perspective taking, 
  • 📱 AAC: eat, same, different, like, not, 
  • 👑 Book Type: picture book
  • 🌳 Themes: Thanksgiving, Diverse Characters, multiculturalism, 
  • 👦🏽 👧🏻 Ages: Elementary
  1.  Fry Bread A Native American Family Story by Kevin Noble Maillard Illustrated by Juana Martinez-Neal 
  • 📊Publisher: Roaring Brook Press
  • ✏️ Summary: The first page turn leads to the interior cover pages covered with the names of native tribes and villages. A great place to stop and reflect with your students. Told in lively and powerful verse by debut author Kevin Noble Maillard, Fry Bread is an evocative depiction of a modern Native American family, vibrantly illustrated by Pura Belpre Award winner and Caldecott Honoree Juana Martinez-Neal.
  • Fry bread is food.
  • It is warm and delicious, piled high on a plate.
  • Fry bread is time.
  • It brings families together for meals and new memories.
  • Fry bread is a nation.
  • It is shared by many, from coast to coast and beyond.
  • Fry bread is us.
  • It is a celebration of old and new, traditional and modern, similarity and difference.
  • 👄 Speech Sounds: R blends, S, Z
  • 🧠 Language: Sequencing, Describing, compare/contrast, Descriptive Adjectives & verbs (fire blazes, bubbles sizzle, skillet clangs), Similes (light like snow), Vocabulary (cycle, heritage, elder, foreign, landscape, etc.)
  • 📱 AAC: It is, See, Smell, Make
  • 👑 Book Type: Picture book
  • 🌳 Themes: Family, Native American, Food
  • 👦🏽 👧🏻 Ages: preschool, elementary, Big Kids
  1. Cora Cooks Pancit by Dorina K. Lazo Gilmore

Cora loves being in the kitchen, but she always gets stuck doing the kid jobs like licking the spoon. One day, however, when her older sisters and brother head out, Cora finally gets the chance to be Mama’s assistant chef. And of all the delicious Filipino dishes that dance through Cora’s head, she and Mama decide to make pancit, her favorite noodle dish.

With Mama’s help, Cora does the grown-up jobs like shredding the chicken and soaking the noodles (perhaps Mama won’t notice if she takes a nibble of chicken or sloshes a little water on the floor). Cora even gets to stir the noodles in the pot—carefully– while Mama supervises. When dinner is finally served, her siblings find out that Cora did all their grown-up tasks, and Cora waits anxiously to see what everyone thinks of her cooking.

Dorina Lazo Gilmore’s text delightfully captures the warmth between mother and daughter as they share a piece of their Filipino heritage. With bright and charming illustrations by Kristi Valiant, Cora’s family comes alive as Cora herself becomes the family’s newest little chef.

  1. Mooncakes by Loretta Seto

Mooncakes is the lyrical story of a young girl who shares the special celebration of the Chinese Moon Festival with her parents. As they eat mooncakes, drink tea and watch the night sky together, Mama and Baba tell ancient tales of a magical tree that can never be cut down, the Jade Rabbit who came to live on the moon and one brave woman’s journey to eternal life. With a gentle focus on the importance of family, Mooncakes is both a perfect book for parent and child to read together and an ideal choice for schools and libraries.

  1. My Heart Fills with Happiness by Monique Gray Smith  

The sun on your face. The smell of warm bannock baking in the oven. Holding the hand of someone you love. What fills your heart with happiness? This beautiful board book, with illustrations from celebrated artist Julie Flett, serves as a reminder for little ones and adults alike to reflect on and cherish the moments in life that bring us joy.

International speaker and award-winning author Monique Gray Smith wrote My Heart Fills with Happiness to support the wellness of Indigenous children and families, and to encourage young children to reflect on what makes them happy.

  1.  We Are Grateful: Otsaliheliga by Traci Sorell, Illustrated by Frane Lessac
  • 📊Publisher: Charlesbridge
  • ✏️ Summary: The word otsaliheliga (oh-jah-LEE-hay-lee-gah) is used by members of the Cherokee Nation to express gratitude. Beginning in the fall with the new year and ending in summer, follow a full Cherokee year of celebrations and experiences. Written by a citizen of the Cherokee Nation, this look at one group of Native Americans is appended with a glossary and the complete Cherokee syllabary, originally created by Sequoyah.
  • 👄 Speech Sounds: CH, CH, G, R blends, S blends
  • 🧠 Language: action words, pronoun we, time (seasons)
  • 📱 AAC: we, together, alone, same, different
  • 👑 Book Type: picture book
  • 🌳 Themes: multicultural books, diverse characters, Thanksgiving, Native Americans
  • 👦🏽 👧🏻 Ages: elementary
  1. Giving Thanks A Native American Good Morning Message by Chief Jake Swamp; Illustrated by Erin Printup, Jr.
  • 📊Publisher: Lee & Low Books Inc
  • ✏️ Summary: Adapted for kids and their families from a traditional Iroquois ceremony the Thanksgiving Address, this teaches Cheif Swamps vision and symbols of giving thanks to natural and spiritual elements in life, revealing Native beliefs in the process. A fine story which celebrates the Earth and Native traditions. –Midwest Book Review
  • 👄 Speech Sounds: TH, F, R, Multisyllable words
  • 🧠 Language: Pronoun you, Describing, vocabulary
  • 📱 AAC: thank you, all, look
  • 👑 Book Type: picture book
  • 🌳 Themes: Thanksgiving, Native Americans
  • 👦🏽 👧🏻 Ages: Elementary

Now it’s your turn! Tell me your favorite picture book about Thanksgiving!

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