Thanksgiving is a day to reflect on what we’re grateful for. Full bellies and full hearts leave people everywhere feeling thankful for what they have—and wanting for nothing more. So naturally, the day after Thanksgiving is a time to… make a wish list and go shopping? Have you ever noticed that the rapid progression from Thanksgiving to Black Friday to Christmas can quickly take many of us from grateful to greedy?

This year, let’s linger a while longer in the gratitude. Students who are immersed in a culture that’s constantly telling them they need more, more, more can especially benefit from slowing down and being mindful of what they already have. A gratitude-themed book is a great way to encourage this process (while simultaneously boosting literacy, of course). Here are a few book lists that can help cultivate attitudes of gratitude in your students.

The folks at Doing Good Together, a nonprofit centered around family volunteerism, put together a great list of picture books to inspire gratitude in younger students. For older students, they have a list of mindfulness and gratitude-themed chapter books. Both lists come with thoughtful conversation starters. Common Sense Media has another great list of books that inspire kids to be grateful, which includes titles for younger and older students alike. And be sure to check out this list from Scholastic, which features thoughtful, gratitude-centric books for middle schoolers. Find these books in your library; pass the lists along to your students and their parents; or maybe even pick up a couple titles for your classroom bookshelf.* 

Finally, if you’re looking for ways to encourage your students to read and write over Thanksgiving break, visit this blog post about how students can turn feelings of gratitude into meaningful, literacy-boosting actions.

As always, we are incredibly grateful for you and all you do for your students. We wish you a very Happy Thanksgiving!

*But only if you can score a great Black Friday deal.