The Children's Book of Thanksgiving Stories

A charming time capsule of early 20th century American childhood, this anthology gathers thirty-one stories that capture the spirit of Thanksgiving as it was once celebrated and taught to young readers. The collection opens with 'The Kingdom of the Greedy,' a delightfully whimsical fairy tale about a king who must cure his pastry-crazed subjects of their gluttony, setting the warm and playful tone that follows. Here you'll find Harriet Beecher Stowe writing about how an African American family kept Thanksgiving at Oldtown, Nathaniel Hawthorne's 'John Inglefield's Thanksgiving,' and George Eliot's account of an English Thanksgiving dinner alongside lesser-known gems about runaway geese, mysterious kitchen thieves, and frontier celebrations. Whether teaching the holiday's history or simply celebrating its spirit of gratitude and togetherness, these vintage stories preserve a particular vision of Thanksgiving warmth that endures.