CLERC
Typical Thanksgiving stories are often highly mythologized and historically incorrect. That said, November—and the Fall season—is often a time for harvest, gratitude, and being with family and friends. This list highlights a selection of children’s books that help us acknowledge Native American and other multi-cultural narratives celebrating these important themes.
Books about Harvest, Gratitude, and Family
The following books are available in CLERC collections at the Bend, Redmond or Madras campuses. Please click on title links to check locations.
Berry Song by
As a young Tlingit girl collects wild berries over the seasons, she sings with her Grandmother as she learns to speak to the land and listen when the land speaks back.
Call Number: CLERC | PZ7.1.G614 Be 2022
A Family Is a Family Is a Family by
When a teacher asks the children in her class to think about what makes their families special, the answers are all different in many ways -- but the same in the one way that matters most of all. One child is worried that her family is just too different to explain, but listens as her classmates talk about what makes their families special. One is raised by a grandmother, and another has two dads. One is full of stepsiblings, and another has a new baby.
Call Number: CLERC | PZ7.O46259 Fam 20
Fry Bread : a Native American Family Story by
Children help a Native American grandmother make fry bread, delves into the history, social ways, foodways, and politics of America's 573 recognized Indian tribes.
Call Number: CLERC | PZ7.1.M34682 Fr 2019
Gracias : Thanks by
A young multiracial boy celebrates family, friendship, and fun by telling about some of the everyday things for which he is thankful.
Call Number: CLERC | PZ73 .M6363 2009
Grandmother's Visit by
Grandmother lives with Grace’s family and her stories about growing up in China and together they savor the flavors of her childhood. After Grandmother passes, Grace’s mom turns on all the outside lights so that Grandmother’s spirit can find its way home for one final goodbye.
Call Number: CLERC | PZ7.1.Q255 Gr 2018
Hungry Johnny by
Wild rice, fried potatoes, fruit salad, frosted sweet rolls -- what a feast! Johnny can hardly contain his excitement. But wait. First there is the long drive to the community center. And then an even longer Ojibwe prayer. Will it ever be their turn? And will there be enough?
Call Number: CLERC | PZ7.M659 Hu 2014
Keepunumuk : Weeâchumun's Thanksgiving Story by
Wampanoag children listen as their grandmother tells them the story about how Weeâchumun (the wise Corn) asked local Native Americans to show the Pilgrims how to grow food to yield a good harvest--Keepunumuk--in 1621.
Call Number: CLERC | PS3607.R452537 K44 2022
May Your Life Be Deliciosa by
Each year on Christmas Eve, Rosie's abuela teaches her not only how to make a delicious tamale, but how to make a delicious life--one filled with love, plenty of spice, and family.
Call Number: CLERC | PZ7.1.G47 May 2021
Mii Maanda Ezhi-Gkendmaanh : This Is How I Know by
In this lyrical story-poem, written in Anishinaabemowin and English, a child and grandmother explore their surroundings, taking pleasure in the familiar sights that each new season brings. We accompany them through warm summer days full of wildflowers, bees and blueberries, then fall, when bears feast before hibernation and forest mushrooms are ripe for harvest. Winter mornings begin in darkness as deer, mice and other animals search for food, while spring brings green shoots poking through melting snow and the chirping of peepers.
Call Number: CLERC | PR9199.L82 M55 2021
My Heart Fills with Happiness by
The sun on your face. The smell of warm bannock baking in the oven. Holding the hand of someone you love. What fills your heart with happiness? This beautiful board book, with illustrations from celebrated artist Julie Flett, serves as a reminder for little ones and adults alike to reflect on and cherish the moments in life that bring us joy.
Call Number: CLERC | PZ7.1.G73 M9 2016
Our Table by
"Violet’s family used to gather at the table, but now they have been drifting apart, and with nobody to gather around it, the table grows smaller and smaller. Can Violet remind her family of the warmth of time spent together, and gather around the table once more?
Call Number: CLERC | PZ7.R337645 Ou 2021
The Range Eternal by
A young Native American girl who considers her family's wood-burning stove to be the heart of her home in the Turtle Mountains must adapt when it is replaced.
Call Number: CLERC | PS3555.R42 R36 2020
The Thank You Book - An Elephant and Piggie Book by
Piggie is determined to thank everyone she knows, but Gerald thinks she will forget someone important.
Call Number: CLERC | PZ7.W65535 Td 2016
Thank You, Omu! by
When the aroma of Omu's homemade stew fills the air, her neighbors arrive, one by one, for a taste until all is gone except for her generous spirit.
Call Number: CLERC | PZ7.1.M6682 Th 2018
We Are Grateful : Otsaliheliga by
Otsaliheliga is a Cherokee word that is used to express gratitude. Journey through the year with a Cherokee family and their tribal nation as they express thanks for celebrations big and small. This book presents a look at modern Native American life as told by a citizen of the Cherokee Nation.
Call Number: CLERC | E99.C5 S657 2018
Additional Resources
American Indians in Children’s Literature (AICL)
AICL Good Books about Thanksgiving
List of Thanksgiving Books to Avoid
Native Land Digital — search an address to determine who originally built, nurtured and harvested the land you stand on.
