Each year our family finds another book or two to add to our Thanksgiving selection. Apparently, not eating turkey is a popular theme among children...I wonder why! Well, our vegetarian family surely doesn't mind. Reading these books shows our children that we aren't the only ones out here who care about animals and will be skipping the turkey on Thanksgiving day.
Twas the Night Before Thanksgiving by Dav Pilkey
This title has become a classic in many vegetarian households, but beware before you buy that the image of an axe and the explanation of what Farmer Nuggett plans to do with it, might upset younger children. My kids, who are faced with animal carcasses every time we go to the market here in Mongolia, are quite clear about where meat comes from, so they are delighted when the schoolbus of children nabs the turkeys and saves them from their gruesome fate. The entire story is set to the rhyme of "Twas the Night Before Christmas" and is a favorite of our family.
A Turkey for Thanksgiving by Eve Bunting
In this story with adorable illustrations, Mr. Moose sets off to find "a real turkey" for Mrs. Moose and their Thanksgiving celebration. When he finds one, he can't seem to understand why Mr. Turkey is hiding and so afraid. Mr. Moose and his friends - Sheep, the Goats, Rabbit, and Porcupine - bring an unwilling Mr. Turkey back to dinner. Of course, there is a chair just for him, and the whole crew sit down to a vegetarian Thanksgiving dinner. Mrs. Moose lets him know that they never meant to eat him; they just wanted his company.
A Comfy Cozy Thanksgiving (Bear in the Big Blue House) by Kiki Thorpe
I especially like this one because there is no mention of turkey, and all the food on Bear's table is vegetarian. Kids will relate to Treelo's plight on busy Thanksgiving day when no one seems to want his help in the kitchen; he's just in the way. The little lemur sulks off but is lured back to the house with the warm smells of food cooking and discovers he is wanted and needed after all.
Silly Tilly's Thanksgiving Dinner by Lillian Hoban
Silly Tilly Mole isn't remembering things too well, like the fact that it's Thanksgiving day! She forgot to send out the invitations. But in a nice twist of fate, while rushing around handing them out, it turns out that she gives everyone her recipe cards insteads. She dozes off, and when she wakes up she thinks she's in big trouble because she doesn't have time to make the feast. Luckily, her friends bring all the food, and yes, it's all vegetarian.
Gracias the Thanksgiving Turkey by Joy Cowley
Miguel's Papa, a truck driver who is on the road but hopes to be back in time for Thanksgiving day, has sent his son a gift: a real, live turkey! His father wants him to fatten it up for the big meal. Miguel, a Puerto Rican boy living in New York City, wants his Papa to come home, but he grows to love his pet turkey - whom he names Gracias - and doesn't want to eat her. Your kids will love this heartwarming story of family and adventure as Gracias get saved from the fate of the Thanksgiving dinner table.
Thanksgiving at the Tappleton's by Eileen Spinelli
Nothing seems to be going right at the Tappleton's house this Thanksgiving. Your kids will cheer when the turkey slips from Mrs. Tappleton's grasp and right into the frozen pond! And that's only the beginning. Something seems to go wrong with all the food. The family is beginning to think this won't be much of a Thanksgiving after all, when Grandma reminds them what the holiday is really about - and it's more than turkey and trimmings.
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