Our Favorite Thanksgiving Read Alouds

Thanksgiving is a great time of year to read a good book aloud together. It could be a chapter book, reading one or two chapters a day, or a picture book every day. Here are our very favorite Thanksgiving read-alouds:

Pilgrim Stories

This is my favorite Thanksgiving read-aloud. We read a chapter or two a day for the two weeks leading up to Thanksgiving. What a wonderful adventure to be part of. We meet the Pilgrims in Scrooby, England, travel with them to Holland, climb aboard the Mayflower, and endure the early days of their new home in the American wilderness.

Pilgrim Stories by Margaret Pumphreys is a classic you will want to share with your children. It will become a family favorite.

Cranberry Thanksgiving

I love this story of Thanksgiving in New England near a cranberry bog. This picture book shares the lovely message of hospitality and seeing beneath the outward appearance to find the heart. Cranberry Thanksgiving by Wende and Harry Devlin is a delightful read-aloud for all ages. A recipe for Maggie’s grandmother’s famous cranberry bread is included. It would be great fun to read the book aloud and make cranberry bread together.

Squanto

This picture book tells the story of Squanto: his kidnapping, slavery, rescue from slavery, conversion, return to America, and friendship with the Pilgrims at Plymouth. I love the illustrations. My children and grandchildren love this book. This story is not well-known, but has so many parallels to the life of Joseph, who found himself in slavery, but ended up being a blessing, anyway. Unfortunately for Squanto, he was never reunited with his family, but his faith and friendship made a huge difference for the Pilgrims.

Samuel Eaton’s Day

Samuel Eaton’s Day: A Day in the Life of a Pilgrim Boy by Kate Waters is a fun way to travel back in time to Plimoth Plantation in the early days of Colonial America. We go through an entire day with Samuel: getting dressed, doing chores, helping with the rye harvest, and gathering mussels to eat for dinner. My children always loved this book and it is a fun way to give your children a glimpse of daily life for the Pilgrims of the first Thanksgiving.

Sarah Morton’s Day

Sarah Morton’s Day: A Day in the Life of a Pilgrim Girl by Kate Waters has been a favorite in our house for decades. This picture book follows a little girl in Plymouth, through her daily life, that was very different from the daily lives of little girls today. Sarah helps her mother, feeds the animals, churns butter, polishes brass, and enjoys a writing lesson with her father. Later on, her father quizzes her on her Bible memorization. All the photographs are taken at Plimoth Plantation Living Museum. Charming!

Pilgrim’s Progress

This classic allegory is not about the Pilgrims of Plymouth, but it does reveal where their name came from. Christians are referred to in the New Testament as pilgrims. Pilgrim’s Progress by John Bunyan was written when John, a Puritan pastor, was serving time in jail for practicing his faith. His delightful story follows the progress of a pilgrim who leaves his old life behind to walk with Jesus. Every believer can relate to Pilgrim’s trials and victories. This story is great fun to read aloud any time of the year.

Here are some resources for you to Celebrate Thanksgiving:

• Learning from the Pilgrims and Puritans
• ‘Tis the Season to be Thankful
• 5 Kernels of Corn (a sweet Thanksgiving tradition)
• Sing for Thanksgiving

Until next time, Happy Homeschooling,

Warmly,

Meredith Curtis

Meredith Curtis, homeschooling mom, writer, speaker, and publisher, loves to encourage families in their homeschooling adventure. She is the author of Joyful and Successful Homeschooling and Celebrate Thanksgiving. You can check out her books, curricula, unit studies, and Bible studies at PowerlineProd.com. Free Reading Lists for all ages are available at JSHomeschooling.com. Read her blogs at MeredithCurtis.com (http://www.meredithcurtis.com/blog) and PowerlineProd.com and listen to her at Finish Well Radio.