November has begun!! November is a month full of so many things. Often here the weather is changing (although this year we have had warm weather thus far). The leaves are falling. There is Day of the Dead, Election Day, Veteran's Day and of course Thanksgiving! November is colorful leaves, pumpkins, turkeys, and a month of gratitude! Today we are sharing a roundup of picture books that are November themed!! They include the month, pumpkins, gratitude, and turkeys!! The first book is Meet November by April Martin. It is part of The Calendar Kids series. It is recommended for ages 4 to 8.
Publisher's Summary:
Celebrate the months of the year with this adorable picture book featuring the yummiest month of all: November!Meet November, who is ready to eat. Join him as he celebrates all the fun fall traditions on his way to Thanksgiving dinner!
Created by a former elementary school teacher, the Calendar Kids series is the perfect tool to educate and entertain. Each book focuses on the weather, traditions, and holidays of a specific month through a sweet story, charming character, and cool pet. With adorable illustrations and a seasonal theme, this installment of the Calendar Kids series is perfect for young readers ages 5 to 8!
Each book includes:
- A reversible jacket poster filled with fun facts and key words
- A kid-friendly recipe
- A creative character with a quirky pet
- Discussion questions
- Fun facts about the seasons
- Online resources for parents and educators
- And more!
From Me:
In this book series, each month is a child. In this book the main character is November. November loves the leaves and jumping in leaf piles. He loves his pet turkey, Cornbread. He knows his favorite holiday is at the end of his month, and he cannot wait for it. However first he celebrates Veteran's Day and is thankful for all the veterans. He and his friends collect food for charity. They learn a bit about Native American culture for Native American History Month and put on the traditional Thanksgiving play of the pilgrims arriving. Then they make handprint turkeys. They get an assignment to create the best way to hide a turkey. He comes up with balloons to make Cornbread look like a Thanksgiving parade balloon. He then realizes it is Thanksgiving because the parade is on! Throughout the story November tells the readers what he is thankful for and at the end of book is a page for the reader to write in special November events and their own opinion of the best part of the month. There are also some facts about November and discussion questions. Finally, there is a turkey handprint pie topping recipe.
This book is packed full of all things that are November. It is the perfect book for a teacher to share at the beginning of the month to let the students know what is coming. Teachers there are free resources to go with this book here. It is also a great book to share with young children at home to let them know about some of the fun things in November. It is a great introduction book and perfect for starting the month!
Now that we have met November and discovered some of what this month brings, let's talk about pumpkins! Now pumpkins are an autumn staple and there certainly are a lot of pumpkins in October! However, they stick around for November with decorations and pumpkin pie! The next book is The Pumpkin Seed's Secret: A Live Cycle Poem by Hannah Barnaby and illustrated by Cédric Abt. It is recommended for ages 4 to 8.
Publisher's Summary:
A pumpkin life cycle book with hominess and heart!In this rhyming picture book about the life cycle of a pumpkin, a pumpkin becomes something new with each turn of the page, from a flower to a house to a face. Extensive back matter on the pumpkin life cycle, fun pumpkin facts, and a pumpkin seed recipe are included. A perfect book for both home and school libraries. An excellent gift for Halloween or any time of year!
A pumpkin is a seed.
A plain little seed with a secret inside,
A pocket, a pip with a new life to hide.
To hide and to hold
As springtime unfolds,
A pumpkin begins as a seed.
A pumpkin is a sprout.
A curious sprout with one leaf and then two,
A budding, a nudging, a slow peekaboo.
Happy for rain
And sunshine again,
A pumpkin pops out as a sprout.
From Me:
This book is a rhyming book about the life cycle of a pumpkin. Starting with the seed and then the sprouts to the vines, flowers and fruit. It talks about pumpkins as jack-'o-lanterns as well as a food. It then goes into the decay of pumpkins and how pumpkins can be used by animals for food, shelter and more. It comes full circle with the seed under the snow and then sprouting in the spring. The illustrations have an emphasis on Halloween, but it certainly works for November as well.
At the end of the book there are pages about pumpkins labeling the parts and its lifecycle. Then there are pages about the decaying pumpkins and fungus. It teaches about how the fungus and decay is good for the environment. Then it ends with pumpkin fun facts and a recipe for roasting pumpkin seeds. The recipe includes seasonings from around the world and there are many options I would not have thought of for pumpkin seeds! The book is fun and the illustrations are beautiful. It is perfect for an autumn read or for introducing a unit on pumpkins and seed growth. It is also perfect for reading before heading to the pumpkin patch!!
November is the month for giving thanks and being grateful! Today there are two books about gratitude. The first is Elmo Gives Thanks by Erin Guendelsberger & Sesame Workshop and by illustrated Ernie Kwiat. It is recommended for ages 3 to 7.
Publisher's Summary:
Give thanks with Elmo and celebrate love and joy in this sweet Thanksgiving picture book!All around us, there is so much to be thankful for! From the world-renowned brand Sesame Street comes a special gratitude book for kids in which Elmo, Abby Cadabby, Cookie Monster, and their Sesame Street friends celebrate and say thank you for so many amazing things in the world around them – like food, family, and even giggles! This cozy fall book introduces children to the concept of thankfulness that can be explored and practiced in their own lives and is a heartfelt reminder to us all that there is always so much to appreciate throughout autumn and all year long!
Elmo Gives Thanks is a charming read-aloud for toddlers and kids ages 3-7 that parents, grandparents, families, or classrooms will enjoy sharing in together! The perfect Thanksgiving gift or book to read at any time of year to help children learn about the joy of giving thanks!
There's so much to be thankful for! Where do you start?
Everyday gratitude comes from the heart.
We're thankful for kindness, for helping and caring-
For those who show love by their giving and sharing.
From Me:
As someone who is of the generation that first grew up with Sesame Street, I have to say this book is so fun!! Elmo and his friends share many everyday things they are thankful for like being able to move and play and food. The words rhyme and many of the Sesame Street favorites are in here!
I love that it goes into some things that are not always on everyone's thankful for lists. It includes the seasons, silly and joyful times, safe places, family and friends and so much more! This book is perfect for getting readers to think about their own gratitude in a fun way plus it is perfect for fans of Sesame Street!
The other book about gratitude is also about family! It is I Am Thankful: A Story about Gratitude and Family by Sheri Wall and illustrated by Holly Clifton-Brown. It is recommended for ages 3 to 5.
Publisher's Summary:
Learn about the true spirit of gratitude with this Thanksgiving book for kids 3-5
Teach kids about coming together with loved ones to give thanks! I Am Thankful is an adorable, rhyming storybook that follows three different families as they celebrate the holiday with their own traditions, acts of kindness, and ways of giving back.Kids will learn how to be thankful for the people and world around them as they delight in the sweet illustrations that show diverse families and exciting Thanksgiving adventures. This heartfelt, poetic story will show young ones the meaning of giving and sharing.
This toddler Thanksgiving book features:
- A holiday adventure—Enjoy a narrative, rhyming story with 50 pages of Thanksgiving fun!
- Your own thankfulness practice—Discover a short section in the back including activities and crafts designed to foster more thankfulness.
- An inclusive story—Learn the true meaning of community with a diverse cast of characters and a universally welcoming story.
If you are looking for Thanksgiving books for kids, I Am Thankful is a warm, fun story for all.
From Me:
This book goes between various kids and their families getting ready to and celebrating Thanksgiving. The kids and families are diverse and the verses rhyme. The sample page below is repeated in the book and is the overall theme. One family fly to see extended family and another is shopping at the store. There are hayrides through a pumpkin patch and baking pies; looking at old photos and the return of the college sibling. It also features walks in the park and watching the parade as a family and making donations. There is even a child who talks to a parent who is away from him. And of course, there is the preparation of the meal as well as having all the guests eat it!
This book is full of various families and traditions that are practiced on and around Thanksgiving. It is a wonderful book about gratitude as well as family and togetherness. The illustrations are sweet and diverse, and the rhyming verses are fun. It hits just about every tradition I can think of for celebrating Thanksgiving!
Our final theme for November is turkeys! There are two turkey themed books perfect for getting ready for Thanksgiving! The first is from the How to Catch Series! It is How to Catch a Turkey by Adam Wallace and illustrated by Andy Elkerton. It is recommended for ages 4 to 10.
Publisher's Summary:
A New York Times Bestseller!From the bestselling How to Catch series comes a festive turkey tale!
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?
From Me:
It is another book from the How to Catch series and this one is all about a turkey on Thanksgiving. However, it is not to eat the turkey! The turkey is going to be part of the Thanksgiving play but it manages to escape and runs all through the school. It finally ends up on stage wearing a football jersey and becomes the mascot! It is fun and rhymes and kids will love it!
As with most of the books in this series, the turkey causes hilarious chaos! There are fun descriptions of where the turkey runs or what people are trying to use to catch him (the mashed potatoes in the cafeteria). Kids will love hearing this book and it is the perfect book for reading aloud! It is great for a classroom or any story time as well as one to read to have a laugh at home!
Our final book will have readers laughing and give kids some jokes to tell at Thanksgiving dinner! The book is How to Make a Turkey Laugh by Chris Cate. It is recommended for ages 4 to 8.
Publisher's Summary:
Why is Thanksgiving the smartest holiday? Because it's in Know-vember!How do you get turkeys to giggle and gobble? With jokes! Get ready to laugh with this book of hilarious, turkey-themed jokes for kids. It's full of adorable illustrations, silly Thanksgiving puns, and easy-to-read words that make it a Turkey Day feast for early readers and joke-lovers of all ages!
How to Make a Turkey Laugh is perfect for turkey lovers, funny pilgrims and Thanksgiving fans, including moms and dads! It's fun to read aloud in the car or as a short bedtime story. It's also hilarious for preschool, early learning, and kindergarten teachers needing a funny children's book to share with their classrooms during story time.
This joke book offers:
- Goofy, groan-y, jokes that kids (and turkeys!) will read and share over and over.
- Awesome, full-page cartoon illustrations!
- Enough fun to be a surefire hit as a birthday gift, stocking stuffer, Thanksgiving gift, and more.
And explore the whole series of How to Make Them Laugh kids' joke books, including How to Make a Unicorn Laugh, How to Make a Ninja Laugh, How to Make an Astronaut Laugh, and How to Make a Penguin Laugh.
From Me:
Let's face it, Thanksgiving is hard for some turkeys. In this book it suggests telling turkeys jokes to make them laugh. Get ready for Thanksgiving themed dad jokes! They are the corny but make you laugh kind of jokes with word plays and more.
The graphics seem digital but are more of just the turkeys. I love that this book provides jokes for kids to tell at Thanksgiving. Hopefully one of the jokes will help break the ice or shyness when the friends and family gather! It is humorous and fun!
