Books About Being Thankful and grateful For Kindergarten & Grade 1
These kids’ picture books about thankfulness are great to read aloud with little ones not only around Thanksgiving but all year round. After all, gratitude is important no matter what time of the year it is.
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Being a grateful person is such a valuable part of living a happy and satisfied life.
So how can we help teach our little ones from an early age about the power of thankfulness and gratitude? With the power of reading, naturally!
A fun, easy way to teach kindergarten-age kids just about anything is through read-aloud picture books. The concept of gratitude is no exception!
Best Books About Gratitude & Being Thankful For little kids
We found the best fun and sweet read-alouds that will get children thinking about and practicing gratitude, kindness, and appreciation of the simple joys in life.
Let’s explore some of the best thankful books for this age group (around kindergarten age).
Most of these reads are recommended for ages 4-8 but as I always say, you know your child best so choose whichever ones speak to you!
THANKFUL BY ELAINE VICKERS
The illustrations in this book are stunning and really help bring the story to life!
A little girl writes down things she is thankful for on little paper strips to make a chain. She ends up having so many things, her chain just grows longer and longer!
It’s a beautiful little story about being grateful for all the small pleasures and joys in life that make you happy.
A LITTLE THANKFUL SPOT BY DIANE ALBER
We love all the Diane Alber books and this one is no exception.
It’s a story that celebrates life’s everyday blessings and teaches us to practice thankfulness. This book may even inspire your kids to write their very own thankful list about what they’re grateful for.
I Am Thankful: A Thanksgiving Book for Kids BY SHERI WALL
An adorable, rhyming storybook that follows three families as they celebrate the Thanksgiving holiday in their own unique way.
The story teaches kids about giving thanks traditions, acts of kindness, and ways of giving back to others.
THE THANKFUL BOOK BY TODD PARR
Todd Parr has written so many amazing books for kids that teach concepts like unconditional love, diversity, siblings, loving the Earth…the list goes on and on.
Parr’s signature style of playfulness and sensitivity always shines through.
This book celebrates all the small things in life that kids can be thankful for and reminds us to celebrate life’s special moments, big and small.
the thank you book by mo willems (teacher’s pick)
If you are fans of the Elephant & Piggie books, this is a sure winner and includes Mo Willem’s other beloved characters as well.
As The Thank You Book begins, Piggie declares that she is going to thank everyone who has helped her. Gerald worries that she is going to forget someone, but Piggie insists that she will not.
Piggie proceeds to thank every secondary character in the entire series. This is the last book in the series and a sort of farewell story so… if you’re a sad sap like me, you may want to grab a tissue.
thanks a million by nikki grimes
What does it mean to connect with someone? What does it mean to feel thankful?
Beautiful and rhythmic, this unique book is written in a variety of poetic styles and forms, including letter poems, haikus, and riddles. Rich, detailed artwork accompanies each poem.
Thanks A Million is a great choice of thankful books for family time, read-alouds, or kindergarten circle time.
Gracias/ thanks by pat mora (english and Spanish edition)
A flowy, poetic bilingual book written in both Spanish and English, that speaks to finding happiness in the simple things in life. It has bright, colorful illustrations and multicultural characters.
Gracias/ Thanks is an adorable gratitude book for kids with a very sweet message.
The text is simple and perfect for Kindergarten-Grade 2 read alouds, library storytime, or classroom reading.
those shoes by marybeth boelts (teachers pick)
All Jeremy wants is a pair of those shoes, the ones everyone at school seems to be wearing.
Though Jeremy’s grandma says they don’t have room for “want,” just “need,” when his old shoes fall apart at school, he is more determined than ever to have those shoes.
This heart-warming story touches on the concepts of needs versus wants, kindness, empathy, and the importance of being a good friend, as well as being thankful for what you do have.
Jeremy comes to realize that the things he has like warm boots, a loving grandma, and the chance to help a friend, are worth more than the things he wants.
THE GRATITUDE JAR BY KATRINA LIU
Mina was feeling sorry for herself. She always seemed to notice the good things that others had, but she didn’t. One day, her family decided to make a gratitude jar. Changes soon follow for all of them.
The family discovers the power of gratitude and being thankful for life’s simple things.
It’s a lovely little story that introduces thankfulness and helps kids strengthen their gratitude skills.
It may even inspire you and your family to start a gratitude jar of your own!
around the table that grandad built by Melanie Heuiser Hill
“This is the table that Grandad built.
These are the sunflowers picked by my cousins,
set on the table that Grandad built.”
This a really cute book to read around Thanksgiving and the holidays. It has bright, colorful illustrations and celebrates bounty, gratitude, family and friendship.
It’s sort of a version of the classic “This Is the House That Jack Built,”.
A family gathers with friends and neighbors to share a meal around a table that brims with family contributions: napkins sewn by Mom, glasses from Mom and Dad’s wedding, and silverware gifted to Dad by his grandma long ago.
MY ATTITUDE OF GRATITUDE BY MELISSA WINN
Another great thankfulness read aloud about gratitude jars and how they can help us to be more mindful and grateful.
In this story, a Grandma teaches her grandson how to cope with not always getting what he wants by learning to appreciate everything he has.
He learns to be thankful for the warmth of a home, family, and love.
the thank you letter by jane cabrera
After a wonderful birthday party, Grace sits down to thank her friends and family for all their kind gifts. As she writes, Grace realizes there are just soooo many things to be thankful for.
She writes her teacher, her dog, and even the sky to say thank you for being blue!
She can’t believe the response when she receives all the cards, letters, and notes written to her by all her family and friends.
This is a super sweet story about focusing on the positive, sharing joy and appreciation, and being grateful.
It also is a great book for anyone wanting to encourage their kids to write thank you notes or connect with distant loved ones.
The Grumbles: A Story about Gratitude BY TRICIA GOYER & AMY PARKER
The Grumble family tried not to complain but bills and laundry and sibling squabbles kept everyone rumbling.
When Grandma Grateful comes for a visit, things change. She teaches the family a lesson about patience, thankfulness, and true happiness.
The Grumbles is a sweet, simple, and silly story with excellent illustrations.
It includes Christian values, teaches graciousness, counting your blessings, and how to turn grumbles into gratefulness.
We all get ‘the grumbles’ from time to time. It’s important we teach little ones that even when things don’t go our way, we must remember to be thankful for what we have and try not to complain.
GRATITUDE IS MY SUPERPOWER BY ALICIA ORTEGO
Ortego’s book about gratitude is another great example of a story that teaches kids to be grateful for the things they already have.
The main character, Betsy learns that happiness is made up of simple things in life, both small and big.
With the help of a magic stone, she begins to feel gratitude for her parents, friends, and toys.
Eventually, she realizes the real magic is inside her, not the stone. The gratitude is simply carried in her heart.
This book will teach your kiddos to appreciate the warmth of home, and time spent playing with friends and family.
The Things I’m Grateful For BY ARNIE LIGHTNING
This is one of those thankful books for kids that makes a perfect gift.
The Things I’m Grateful For has five short stories featuring different children characters.
It’s a fun book about gratitude and appreciation that has activities for kids to do as well!
This adorable, sweet book teaches about the importance of being optimistic, friendly, trying not to complain, and how gratitude brings happiness to life.
why are picture books important to a child’s development?
Besides helping develop literacy skills and spark a love of reading, picture books in the early years provide children with a range of social-emotional benefits, including gratitude.
The subject matter in picture books can introduce social cues and cultural differences that encourage social-emotional development. Books that model social behaviors help hone social language skills and reinforce positive behavior.
readingpartners.org~ accessed May 2/23
The best children’s authors have an amazing knack for cleverly infusing a lesson or a moral in their stories.
They do this in such a way that the child enjoys the story but at the same time, a moral is being instilled in them.
If you have a book from childhood that you specifically remember, it may just be that there was a lesson you learned there that helped mold you into the person you are today.
For me, it was a little book called Morgan and Me. It was the story of a little princess and a unicorn named Morgan that gets his horn stuck in a tree.
He desperately needs her help!
Now, this girl is a huge procrastinator and always puts things off until “a little later”, so of course, she doesn’t help him right away.
In the end, she does learn her lesson. This book definitely stuck with me regarding the concept of thinking of others’ needs and not being selfish.
teaching gratitude & thankfulness
Instilling a sense of gratitude in our children is so important. Try to model behaviour for them to follow rather than just reminding them to say thank you when prompted.
We all want to raise kind little humans for the next generation right?
By practicing gratitude in your daily life and leading by example, along with reading books with lessons like these, your child’s gratitude cup will soon overflow.
You teach children how to be grateful when you express your own gratitude openly and model thankfulness through your actions.
“I’m so thankful for the sunshine that warms me inside and out.”
Michigan State University Child & Family Development~ accessed may25/23
“Isn’t it nice when grandma watches the baby so you and I have extra time to cuddle together?”
“Dad works so hard. Why don’t we make a special meal to show him how much we appreciate him?”
Wrap Up: Best Thankful Books For Kindergarten
There you have it! Some of our favorite thankfulness read-alouds to help little kids learn about the importance of carrying gratitude in their heart.
I hope you find some that resonate with you and that will find a spot in your reading nook, library, or classroom!
What are some of your favorite books about being grateful? Let us know in the comments!
Until next time, K.
Kelly Blakely is the founder and creative force behind Just Our View From Here. As a first-time mom over 40, she brings a fresh perspective to parenting and family life on her blog. Kelly also explores a wide range of lifestyle topics in her writing, including fashion, beauty, self-care, and well-being.
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resources
How Picture Books Help Kids Develop Literacy Skills~ readingpartners.org
Teaching An Attitude of Gratitude to Young Children~ Michigan State University Child & Family Development
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