As Thanksgiving approaches, it’s a wonderful time to explore the history behind the holiday and the events that shaped it. This isn’t just about turkeys and Pilgrims, though! In this booklist, you’ll find engaging stories that highlight important historical moments and figures connected to Thanksgiving in the years before and after the first Thankgiving at Plymouth.
Thank You, Sarah: The Woman Who Saved Thanksgiving
Story of the woman who campaigned to revitalize Thanksgiving as a national holiday
Buy
An Outlaw Thanksgiving
True story of a Wild West Thanksgiving celebration with Butch Cassidy and his gang
Buy
America’s Real First Thanksgiving: St. Augustine, Florida, September 8, 1565
Story of a Spanish Thanksgiving celebration in 1560s Florida
Buy
Balloons Over Broadway: The True Story of the Puppeteer of Macy’s Parade
Story of the puppeteer who invented the balloons for the Macy’s Thankgiving parade
Buy
Nickommoh!: A Thanksgiving Celebration
Story of the harvest and sharing celebration of the Narragansett people
Buy
Rivka’s First Thanksgiving
Story of a 1910s girl who see parallels between the Pilgrims and her Jewish immigrant community
Buy
Thanksgiving in the White House
Story of young Tad Lincoln getting his pet turkey pardoned
Buy
1621: A New Look at Thanksgiving
Excellent explanation of what really happened at the first Thanksgiving, including recipes
Buy
A Pioneer Thanksgiving: A Story of Harvest Celebrations in 1841
Fictional exploration of a pioneer family’s frontier Thanksgiving
Buy
Keepunumuk: Weeâchumun’s Thanksgiving Story
Story of the Indigenous significance of Thanksgiving, with recipes
Buy