Pilgrim Books for Preschool
This Thanksgiving, fill your shelves with one or more of these pilgrim books for preschool. They’re perfect for the holidays.
I love to use picture books to introduce and/or celebrate the holidays. You can teach customs, cultures, and traditions with picture books. Add these to your upcoming Thanksgiving preschool activities.
Pilgrim Books for Preschool
Below, I’ve featured just a handful of picture books that will help your preschoolers learn about the first Thanksgiving.
You should be able to find them at your local library or bookstore. If you can’t find them locally, you can click each image cover to purchase them on Amazon.
Sarah Morton’s Day: A Day in the Life of a Pilgrim Girl – There’s a fire to build, breakfast to cook, chickens to feed, goats to milk, and letters and scripture to learn. Between the chores, there is her best friend, Elizabeth, with whom she shares her hopes and dreams. But Sarah is worried about her new stepfather. Will she ever earn his love and learn to call him father?
The Itsy Bitsy Pilgrim – A fun and playful Thanksgiving twist on the favorite nursery rhyme “The Itsy Bitsy Spider”!
The Story of the Pilgrims – From the dangerous voyage across the Atlantic to the first harsh winter to the delicious Thanksgiving feast, all the excitement and wonder of the Pilgrims’ first year in America is captured in this vivid retelling for the youngest historians.
The First Thanksgiving: A Lift-the-Flap Book – A great interactive board book for kids to introduce them to the first Thanksgiving. Lift up flaps on each page provide a surprise for children as they read through the book and learn about the Pilgrims and how the Native Americans helped the Pilgrims adjust to living in a new land.
My First Thanksgiving – Tomie dePaola’s simple text and bright illustrations perfectly capture the joy of this special holiday. Young readers will love learning more about the traditional celebrations of the day.
P is for Pilgrim: A Thanksgiving Alphabet – From the lives of our early settlers, who established the foundations for American freedoms and ideals, to today’s celebrations, P is for Pilgrim colorfully examines the history and lore of Thanksgiving.
One Little, Two Little, Three Little Pilgrims – Ten little Pilgrims and ten little Wampanoag boys and girls are getting ready for the harvest feast. In colonial Plymoth, the Pilgrims hunt ducks and geese and dig up turnips and carrots. In a nearby village, the Wampanoag dig for clams, fish for cod, and gather nuts and berries. Finally it’s time for the meal. First everyone gives thanks, then it’s time to eat and celebrate.
The Pilgrims’ First Thanksgiving – Describes the voyage of the Mayflower and the difficulties encountered by the Pilgrims during their first year in the New World, and recounts how they celebrated their first harvest
Giles Hopkins’ First Year at Plymouth – Mrs. Parry’s action-packed and picturesque fact-based story, of Giles Hopkins’ first year at Plymouth, provides an entertaining portrayal of typical and unusual life experiences that Giles Hopkins faced, as the Mayflower Pilgrims learned to live with new challenges in the New World, while making new Indian friends, such as Samoset, Squanto, and chief Massasoit.
The Very First Thanksgiving Day – This sweet story invites children on a journey back to the very first Thanksgiving Day, when two societies came together to feast and honor the earth’s bounty in peace.
The Littlest Pilgrim – Kirsten Richards’ adorable art brings to life this Pilgrim friendship tale; perfect for Thanksgiving, or anytime!
The Story of Thanksgiving – Here is the story of Thanksgiving told in only about 200 words that are simple enough for a toddler to understand. From the Pilgrims’ voyage to the first feast with the Native Americans, the Thanksgiving story is presented in its most traditional form.
Which of these books about pilgrims will you read first?
Let’s Track What You’re Reading!
It’s fun to track what you read to your preschoolers throughout the school year. It’s even more fun to have your preschoolers track the books they enjoyed.
Parents and teachers can use the Reading Tracker to record the titles of each book they read as well as the date and number of pages.
Children can use the My Book Review page to track the books they listen to and then color a face to show whether they liked each book or not.
If you track what you read, you’ll be amazed at how many books you read each day and month!
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Teaching Resources
Do you smell that? Is it fall or your new pumpkin pie play dough kit. This homemade pumpkin scented play dough kit is perfect as a party favor, holiday goody bag or even a fun activity at home.
Welcome autumn and encourage creativity in your children with this fall-themed felt creations busy bag. Practice counting and exploring patterns as you put on the turkey’s feathers.