It’s Thanksgiving here in Canada, a holiday that encourages us to reflect on all of our blessings, and to be thankful for and appreciative of the many things we have. Thanksgiving in Canada tends to be a much lower-key affair than in the United States, where it appears to be, based on what I’ve seen in the media anyway, one of the most important days of the year to many families. While different thanksgiving and harvest festivals and events have been a part of Canadian culture for generations, the statutory holiday we celebrate today, on the second Monday in October, was only made official in 1957.
Whether or not you celebrate the holiday, here are a few picture books that can help young readers focus on and celebrate the many everyday joys and wonders that make our lives so rich and worthwhile.
Who better to learn about being thankful with than our dearest friends Elephant and Piggie?
Bear wants to show his love for his friends by throwing a big party, but realizes that his cupboards are bare! Fortunately, Bear, and young readers, learn that we all have special ways in which we can show our appreciation for the people we love.
A charming, rhyming celebration of the many wonderful, everyday miracles there are to be thankful for.
Each and every day is filled with so many silly, strange, wonderfully ordinary things to be thankful for!
A powerful collection of poems that explore what it means to be thankful, how we can show our gratitude, and how a simple act of appreciation can make a world of difference.
What are some of your favourite books on gratitude and thanksgiving?
And if you’re a fellow Canadian, happy Thanksgiving!!
Thanksgiving here in the US may be my favorite holiday. We even managed to keep celebrating it while we lived abroad (and our kids were not unhappy with the excuse to miss a day of school!). Thank you for this great round-up of books
How wonderful! Keeping traditions is so important – my partner and I spent Christmas overseas once, and we ended up watching our favourite Christmas movies on a phone in our hotel rooms as we travelled, just to have a bit of Christmas wherever we were. 🙂