Although gratitude is an emotion to be felt year-round, we love being especially intentional about highlighting it to our little ones during this season. As we enter a time of gift-giving, family gatherings, and reflecting on all the year has brought, these books help show young readers the joy that both gratitude—and generosity—can bring them.
Apple Cake: A Gratitude by: Dawn Casey
This charming book filled with rhymes follows a young girl as she expresses gratitude to nature and the people around her for everything that helps her family make apple cake. The warm, captivating illustrations will be enjoyed by readers of all ages, and we are confident this book will be requested over and over again. To make it even sweeter, there is a recipe included so you and your child can make your very own apple cake—a fun activity for the whole family!
Thankful by: Eileen Spinelli
This lighthearted rhyming story offers a fun perspective on how gratitude can look different to everyone! An artist, a chef, children, and others in the community are each grateful for different things but share the same feeling of thankfulness. This is one of those classic books that would be read again and again, year after year.
The Giving Snowman by: Julia Zheng
This story is about a snowman who generously offers everything he has to strangers in need without a second thought. When he has nothing left and melts in the sunshine, the people and animals he helped come together to rebuild him and return the favor. This book beautifully highlights the power of generosity. It often brings a community together and comes full circle.
The Thankful Book by: Todd Parr
We can’t decide what we love more about this book—the colorful illustrations or the fun, silly ways it encourages children to think about everything they are thankful for. This book covers it all when it comes to gratitude, from simple things like bath time, to silly things like underwear, to the most important things like family. It’s a story that will spark wonderful conversations about thankfulness, perfect for the holiday season or any time of year.
We Give Thanks by: Cynthia Rylant
Filled with adorable animal characters, this sweet rhyming story reminds us of all the things we have to be thankful for. From family members, to nature to things that help us go, the characters cover it all. This is sure to be a favorite of the season!
Ten Beautiful Things by: Molly Beth Griffin
A young girl, feeling anxious about moving to a new place, is challenged by her grandmother to find ten beautiful things during their long car ride to her new home. Together, they discover beauty in both obvious sights, like a sunrise, and unexpected ones, like the smell of mud. This story gently teaches lessons about gratitude, making the most of difficult times, and the importance of family. This would especially be relevant to older children who can really understand the bigger picture of life challenges and how to find what we are thankful for amidst the challenges.
Thankful by: Elaine Vickers
One snowy night, a little girl begins creating a thank you chain using strips of paper. As she writes down all the things she’s thankful for and her chain gets longer and longer, we are reminded of life’s small joys. She finds so many things to be grateful for that she doesn’t even finish the chain before bedtime. Both fun to read and visually appealing, this book might even inspire a new family tradition—your very own thankful chain!
The Thank You Letter by: Jane Cabrera
After her birthday, Grace feels thankful for all the special gifts she received from loved ones. She decides to write thank you notes, not only to the gift givers, but also to other people she feels especially grateful for. Soon, her notes are bringing joy to everyone around her, and she feels the same happiness when she receives a few notes in return. This book beautifully demonstrates the joy of both giving and receiving and can inspire a fun thank you note activity for you and your child. Children especially love to create notes in their own imaginative way and then deliver them to those they love.
Each of these books illustrates the importance of gratitude in its own special way. No matter which one you choose, we hope it becomes a family favorite and one you continue to bring out again and again. In a world like ours, we need more gratitude and kindness.
By Kathleen Koester and Becca Thiemann
