Pumpkin pieI’m not even done pawing through the Halloween clearance candy and it’s already almost Thanksgiving! If you, like me, will be taking on turkey-dinner hosting duties this year, here’s a selection of books to throw at the kids to keep them busy while you’re trussing up birds, toasting bread cubes, and trying to figure out where in the hell the gizzards went.

The First Thanksgiving

The First Thanksgiving: A Lift-the-Flap Book
This board book is intended for readers young enough to be more interested in chewing on the book than reading it, so you’ll have to forgive its rather cheery and glossed-over treatment of history. Cute cartoon art and fun lift-the-flap details will keep little hands busy. I gave this to a friend’s one-year-old and it was a hit.

 

 

If You Were at the First ThanksgivingIf You Were At The First Thanksgiving
Nicely illustrated with detailed watercolors, this chapter book for ages 7-10 explains who the Puritans were, their early encounters with Native Americans, and what the first Thanksgiving celebration would have been like.

 

 

 

 

Squanto's JourneySquanto’s Journey: The Story of the First Thanksgiving
This short book for ages 6-9 tells the story of Thanksgiving from a different perspective: that of Squanto, a Native American from the Patuxet tribe who worked as a translator and mediator between the English colonists and Native American. The author is of Native American descent, and the book features beautiful, historically accurate gouache illustrations.

 

 

 

A Young People's History of the United StatesA Young People’s History of the United States
For the self-righteous teen at your Thanksgiving table, here’s a young-adult version of Howard Zinn’s classic retelling of American history, putting the experiences of slaves, immigrants, women, and other minorities at the forefront. (There’s an adult version for indignant college students, too.)

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Stephanie Perry
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