Looking for Chinese Thanksgiving books for kids? Look no further!
I had trouble finding them so I thought I’ll save you the trouble and post all I found here!
Since Thanksgiving is a North American tradition, I’m not surprised that it’s difficult to find Chinese children’s books that talk about it.
Below are eight I found that do a good job either teaching about the history, traditions or the heart behind this holiday.
The First Thanksgiving 神奇校車：橋梁書版，第一次感恩節（全20冊)
- by: 喬安娜柯爾
- This is one of 20 Magic School Bus bridge book series. It goes over the history of Thanksgiving and what the Pilgrims went through. It also talks about things we can be thankful for.
- For pictures of pages inside the book, click here.
- Ximalaya Recording: 甜甜的故事书
- Simplified Chinese ISBN: 9787221116604
Give Thanks 感恩 (生命之光系列丛书(全8册) )
- by: 博丹 Stan & Jan Berenstain
- This book comes in a set of 8 other Berenstain Bears book series focused on Christian teachings. It goes over the history of the Thanksgiving holiday.
- Simplified ISBN: 9787547007860
The Thanksgiving Door 感恩之門
- by: Debby Atwell 黛比．艾威爾
- We really enjoyed this beautifully illustrated book on how an old couples’ Thanksgiving went awry when Ann burns their dinner. But because their evening didn’t go as planned, they had one of their favorite Thanksgivings together with an immigrant family from Russia. It’s a sweet and simple book on how opening doors help us open our hearts to receive gifts in unexpected places. I think it’s a great story to share with children to teach them not so much the history of Thanksgiving but the heart behind the holiday and the importance of having a thankful heart beyond the holiday.
- Traditional Chinese ISBN: 9867460154
Last Stop on Market Street 市場街最後一站/市场街最后一站
- By: Matt de la Peña and Christian Robinson 馬特．德拉佩尼亞
- I can see why this award winning book is so popular. The story follows a little boy and his grandmother as they leave church and take the bus to help out at a soup kitchen. They don’t have much nor do they live in an affluent neighborhood. The little boy keeps asking his grandmother the ever poplar “why” questions surrounding their circumstances. His grandmother’s answers help the little boy see from a different perspective, helping him cultivate a thankful heart. Although the story does not go into the history of Thanksgiving, it does touch on how to cultivate a thankful heart and how that effects you.
- Traditional Chinese ISBN: 9789863209812
- Simplified Chinese ISBN: 9787508663098
Thanksgiving Is… 感恩節
- By: Gail Gibbons
- We read through the English version of this book but not the Chinese. Like all Gail Gibbons’ books, this one is also very well illustrated. It starts with a brief overview of other culture’s harvest celebrations like the Greeks, Jews and Chinese before going into the history of Thanksgiving. It then talks about how Americans celebrate Thanksgiving today. This book focuses more on the history and facts surrounding Thanksgiving.
- Simplified Chinese ISBN: 9787544712941
The Thankful Book 感谢的味道/感謝書
- By: Todd Parr
- This is such a sweet and simple book on giving thanks for simple things in life like “感謝我的耳朵，他們讓我聽到 “我愛你” 這樣動聽的話 / 感谢我的耳朵，他们让我听到 “我爱你” 这样动听的话 / “I am thankful for my ears, for they let me hear words like “I love you”. This is great for teaching kids how to give thanks for the simple things in life. So sad I can’t find it in traditional Chinese. To get a glimpse inside this book, click here.
- Traditional ISBN: 9789864402618
- Simplified ISBN: 9787508664521
Magic Tree House #27: Thanksgiving on Thursday / 神奇樹屋27：難忘的感恩節 / 神奇树屋27：感恩节奇遇
- By: Mary Pope Osborne
- This is a great chapter book for older kids (6+) or those who are able to read to themselves. In this book, Jack and Annie travel back in time to help the Pilgrims celebrate their very first Thanksgiving in 1621.
- Traditional Chinese ISBN: 9789864179909
- Simplified Chinese ISBN: 9787535339669
Balloons over Broadway: The True Story of the Puppeteer of Macy’s Parade / 氣球大遊行：紐約感恩節遊行操偶師的故事
- This is the true story of the puppeteer Tony Sarg the inventor of the giant helium balloon floats that made Macy’s Thanksgiving parade so famous. This is more of a story of an American Thanksgiving tradition rather than about the history or heart behind Thanksgiving. The pictures in the book are really beautiful and interesting to look at especially for little one who are curious as to how things like puppets work.
- Traditional Chinese ISBN：9789866049477
Hope you and your kiddos enjoy these Chinese Thanksgiving children’s books! Remember to tag us @spotofsunshinechinese if you do read any of the books listed above to spread the word.
If you come across other good ones, please share with me below!
More Fun Fall Themed Chinese Learning Activities:
For some more fun activities, check out the following posts:
- 5 Fun Thanksgiving activities for Learning Chinese
- Pumpkin Theme Chinese Activities for Kids: 兒童南瓜主題活動
- Leaf Identification Guide for Kids: Free Printable
- Fall Invitation to Create Play Dough Tray
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- Raising Bilingual Parents in Chinese & English
- Raising Bilingual/Multilingual Children
- Montessori-Inspired Kids Learning Chinese
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