“Practice gratitude.” It’s a simple instruction we see on tote bags, coffee mugs and yoga T-shirts. And just like yoga, we know that, when we do it, we will feel better. Yet it can often feel nearly impossible to maintain this habit. Is it any wonder why? Even in this season of abundance, there are plenty of bona fide reasons to cry, complain and kvetch! Just remember: Our kids are listening. Build back your gratitude muscle by sharing these 10 picture books with the little ones in your life. I promise you’ll be thankful that you did.
Fangsgiving
Written and illustrated by Ethan Long
Vladimir the vampire and the other members of Fright Club are cooking up a Thanksgiving feast to die for! But when his uninvited relatives show up and start adding eyeballs to the mashed potatoes and maggots to the pumpkin pie, there are suddenly too many creeps in the kitchen. After losing his temper, Vladdy recovers by suggesting a do-over, where the results are flavorful to both family and fiends. Long’s affable plot and cartoon-style art playfully convey the importance of being grateful for our families, fangs and all. (Ages 3-6)
Finding Grateful
By Dianne White; illustrated by Faith Pray
After their car breaks down, a toddler and her mother begin the long walk home. Mama invites her daughter to “find grateful” by “noticing this thing, that thing, anything, really.” The child waves to a stranger, plays with a puppy and enjoys an ice cream, wondering, “Can this be grateful?” By the time she and her mom reach their front steps, she decides “it is all of this that makes my heart as light as the sun on a white-cloud day.” This sweet, soft focus meditation on being gratefully present is a relaxing read-aloud for both parent and child. (Ages 5-8)
It Could Always Be Worse
Written and illustrated by Margot Zemach
In this beloved Yiddish folk tale, a rabbi advises a harried man who is suffering from living in a too-small house with his large, noisy family to bring his livestock inside to join the crowd. Unsurprisingly, the melee multiplies. The rabbi has only made things worse! Or has he? Sometimes gratitude is a matter of perspective. Zemach’s lively watercolor illustrations of the one-room hut packed with cows, chickens and children will reward repeat readers with rib-tickling new details each time. (Ages 3-8)
Last Stop on Market Street
By Matt de la Peña; illustrated by Christian Robinson
This contemporary classic about a sage Nana who, over the course of one city bus ride, deftly teaches her young grandson a master class in gratitude should be required reading for all humans. De la Peña’s common-sense text combined with Robinson’s bright, cut-paper illustrations won the duo a Caldecott honor and a Newbery Medal in 2016. (Ages 2-6)
My Heart Fills With Happiness
By Monique Gray Smith; illustrated by Julie Flett
Written in both English and Anishinaabemowin, the language of the Ojibwe, Odawa and Pottawatomi people (translations are by Angela Mesic and Margaret Noodin), this small yellow book celebrates the little joys of being alive. The simple text and color-blocked illustrations depicting Native children and their grown-ups singing, dancing and drumming will leave the youngest readers gladly imagining what fills their own hearts with joy. (Ages 0-2)
The Thank You Book
Written and illustrated by Mo Willems
In this installment of Willems’s popular early reader series “Elephant and Piggie,” Piggie realizes that, as “one lucky pig,” she needs to “get thanking” all the significant animals in her life. After Piggie expresses her appreciation to everyone from the infamous Pigeon to Doctor Cat, her best friend, Elephant Gerald, reminds her not to forget a very important someone: the reader holding their book. Don’t be surprised if kiddos inspired by Piggie’s comical “THANK-O-RAMA” suddenly decide to embark on a gratitude tour of their own. (Ages 3-6)
Thank You, Omu!
Written and illustrated by Oge Mora
Omu (“queen” or “grandmother” in Igbo, a West African language) can’t wait to tuck into the savory red stew that’s been simmering on her stove all afternoon. But after sharing a taste with each of the neighbors drawn to her kitchen by the stew’s intoxicating smell, Omu is dismayed to discover that, by dinner time, the pot is empty! One last knock at the door reveals that her kindness has been contagious. The vivid, patterned paper and book clipping collage art perfectly complements this warmhearted tale of good karma. (Ages 3-6)
Thankful
By Eileen Spinelli; illustrated by Archie Preston
A big sister and little brother tumble through the seasons as they play a massive game of make-believe in which they are thankful recipients of everyday wonders like “glitter and glue” and “comfortable shoes.” Spinelli’s rhyming text and Preston’s sprightly pastel illustrations (reminiscent of Quentin Blake) will prompt gratitude for all the fun that can be conjured from the familiar. (Ages 2-5)
What If One Day …
By Bruce Handy; illustrated by Ashleigh Corrin
Across large-scale, color-washed pages filled with flowers, birds, beaches and bugs, this gently philosophical picture book poses the question: What if one day the natural delights we take for granted suddenly disappeared? The answers are both funny and thoughtful. If birds disappeared, for example, “mornings would be quieter” and “worms could relax,” but “skies would be plainer.” Thankfully, Handy reminds us, “there are birds!” The imagined absence of these environmental essentials will make readers’ grateful hearts grow fonder. (Ages 3-8)
What Is Given From the Heart
By Patricia C. McKissack; illustrated by April Harrison
James Otis and his mother have struggled to make ends meet since Daddy died. But they are still better off than the Temples, who lose their home in a fire. When their church takes up a collection for a “love box” of donations for the family, James and his mom each “give from the heart”: a hand-sewn apron from Mama, and a homemade book from James. When they return home, they are surprised and thankful to discover their own love box from their community waiting at their door. Harrison’s cozy collage-and-pen illustrations warmly express the healing power of giving and gratitude in this posthumous work by McKissack, who died in 2017. (Ages 4-8)
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