Gratitude and thankfulness are becomingly increasingly important in the fight towards better mental health.
It's not enough to just be aware of what gratitude is. We need to practice gratitude with a range of gratitude activities to make it a daily habit. Many families even reciting gratitude quotes for kids.
Of course, reading is a very powerful tool in helping children to learn about the world we live in. And learning about emotions, including gratitude, is no different.
First, we'll take a look at what gratitude is and why it's important, and we'll look at our book lists, from picture books for young readers, to tweens and a very special gratitude journal.
Table Of Contents
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What is gratitude and thankfulness?
Gratitude is one of the most positive emotions, helping us to feel an overwhelming sense of thankfulness for everyday life, whether it's family, friends, nature, the food we eat, the place we live, our health and much more.
Expressing gratitude and showing gratitude help you develop a more positive mindset, live in the present moment, gain more self-esteem and boost your general well-being.
Gratitude journals
Gratitude journals are an interactive way of teaching children about gratitude and thankfulness. While they may vary, most gratitude journals provide a daily framework that helps children to reflect on the things that bring joy and happiness into their life.
1. The Growing Gratitude Journal by DaddiLife Books
Recommended age: Six+
The latest instalment from DaddiLife Books, The Growing Gratitude Journal helps your child to explore true thankfulness, express themselves creatively, develop mindfulness and mental resilience, and build positive relationships - all in just three minutes a day.
Gratitude Warm-ups help ease your child into the gratitude attitude every day, while the daily template encourages them to think about all the things that make them happy on a daily basis, even the most simple things.
And finally, reflections and exercises help parents and children check-in to thing about their lives and the amazing things you've been able to do.
The best picture books about gratitude for little kids (Ages 2-5)
We can teach children about gratitude and thankfulness from a young age. Even a little girl or young boy can learn about positive emotions and how to express gratitude.
The are some of our favourite books designed to teach kids of a pre-school age (2-5) all about thankfulness, appreciation, and gratitude.
2. Thank You, Omu! by Oge Mora
Editor's Review
“The colourful cut-paper designs and the diversity of the community represented make this a warm book to be cherished. It would be a nice book to have in the classroom to discuss reciprocity and sharing."
Thank You, Omu! tells the tale of Omu and her famous stew. Everyone loves the smell of Omu's stew and hopes for a taste. Omu offers portions to the people in her community but is soon left with none for herself.
Thank You, Omu! is a heartwarming story that introduces the concept of community and sharing, exploring the wonderful things that happen when we are kind to each other.
3. Bear Says Thanks by Karma Wilson
Editor's Review
“As a teacher, I enjoy all of the Bear books. This one has become one of my favorite stories for my preschool class because of all the learning activities that can go along with it. It's great for Thanksgiving time and teaching sharing and thankfulness, you can have a writing activity where the students come up with stories to share like Bear shares
A charmingly beautiful book, Bear Says Thanks sees Bear wanting to say 'thank you' to all his friends. So, he invites them over for dinner as a token of his appreciation, but the problem is that he doesn't have any food of his own to offer them.
Bear Says Thanks explores the concept of loneliness, friendship and gratitude.
4. Thank You Bear by Greg Foley
Editor's Review
“I absolutely LOVE this book for both the heartwarming story-line and the endearing artwork. I think every little kid should read this story (and many adults too) The encouraging message is one that everyone can appreciate and needs to hear from time to time."
Thank You Bear is a fantastic exploration of different emotions, ranging from joy and happiness to uncertainty and fear. It sees different animals come to guess what is inside the little box Bear found that morning. As the story progresses, Bear is extremely thankful for his best friend.
5. Thanksgiving is for Giving Thanks by Margaret Sutherland
Editor's Review
“Good stroller for the price… and okay for running. But the sunshade doesn’t go down far enough and the cup depths of the parent holder could be much deeper. Can barely fit anything in it without them falling out.”
Over the years, the real sense of what Thanksgiving is really about... giving thanks!
Thanksgiving is for Giving Thanks is an adorable picture book centred around the holiday itself, designed to encourage gratitude and thankfulness in even little readers. It shows the children feeling grateful for their family, their friends, and the celebration that has brought them together.
6. When We Are Kind by Monique Gray Smith
Editor's Review
“This is a delightful storybook for early readers that teaches children the essence of kindness and how it makes our world a brighter place.
Explaining concepts to kids can be a challenge, but this wonderful story will make teaching these values easier for adults and more memorable for kids."
From the acclaimed author Monique Gray Smith, When We Are Kind celebrates all the amazing things that happen when we are kind to others. It encourages children reflect on the emotions they feel when they give and receive kindness; to see how their heart fills with gratitude.
The best picture books about gratitude for older kids (Ages 6-9)
As our children get older, so does their understand of just what gratitude means and why it's so important. It also means that we can move from understanding it, to learning how to practice gratitude. These books explore gratitude in more depth and detail, expanding on some of the key ways we can experience and express gratitude on a daily basis.
7. Boxes for Katje by Candace Fleming
Editors Review
“The generosity and back-and-forth notes between poverty-stricken Katje and Rosie are simple, but filled with emotion, care, and expectation on both sides."
Like many of the books on this list, Boxes for Katje shows young readers about the incredible things that can happen when we show kindness and gratitude to others. It follows the story of Katje, a young girl in a small town in The Netherlands after the Second World War. Ravaged by the war, there is little for the residents. But all that changes when Katje receives an unexpected gift from an American girl called Rosie.
8. A Chair For My Mother by Vera B. Williams
Editor's Review
“I love the idea of hard work and perseverance that this book teaches. This is a beautiful story about a family who saves up for a chair to honor a mother who works hard everyday."
A Caldecott Honor Book from the American Library Association, A Chair For My Mother tells the tale of a family who loses everything in a house fire.
They quickly learn the power of community and kindness as their neighbours offer gifts to help them in their time of need. And, of course, feel a sense of gratitude they've never known before.
9. Apple Cake: A Gratitude by Dawn Casey
Editor's Review
“My daughter loves this book! It’s a beautiful way to learn how to be grateful with everything that surround us. 100% recommended!"
Written by Dawn Casey, Apple Cake: A Gratitude focuses on the gratitude we can feel for nature. From the grass and the flowers, to the bees, the birds and the apple tree.
Life is filled with incredible nature and plenty to be thankful for, and Apple Cake explores it brilliantly.
10. Thankful by Eileen Spinelli
Editors Review
“Such a good book! I love that there's a children's book that's secular and doesn't portray the glossed over version of Thanksgiving. It's true things that kids are thankful for with beautiful illustrations with a fall-like themed cover, but can be read at any time of year."
Eileen Spinelli's Thankful highlights all the things we take for granted in daily life, and the people who put in the hard work to give them to us like gardeners, famers, firefighters, doctors and police officers. It focuses on the sheer joy they can (and should) bring to our lives.
11. I Am Thankful: A Thanksgiving Book for Kids by Sheri Wall
Editor's Review
“This book perfectly describes what Thanksgiving is all about and shares a beautiful message of being grateful and showing gratitude to the ones we love. The illustrations are very eye catching and colourful. I love the representation of different ethnicities, all gathered around the table together."
I Am Thankful follows three families as they celebrate Thanksgiving together, practicing their different traditions, ways of expressing gratitude and showing kindness. It shows that kindness and gratitude aren't just a simple act to be done in one, single way - they can be done in a range of different ways depending on a range of factors.
12. The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein
Editors Review
“I read this book as a child, and upon seeing a reference to it in an old journal entry, I noticed I remembered it well. So I bought a copy to refresh my memory and it almost sort of made me cry at the end. When you can tell a story with so few words, with such simple visual illustrations, that gives such a moral life lesson, that the truth of it is so self evident it makes you cry, that's a special kind of accomplishment!"
Written by New York Times best-selling author, Shel Silverstein, The Giving Tree tells the story of a young boy who eats an apple from a tree every day. As he grows older, the boys asks more of the tree - to climb and swing from its branches, to slide down its trunk. Every year the boys asks more and more, and the tree gives and gives.
With a tinge of sadness, the story teaches children the importance of being truly thankful for the kindness they are shown, and the value of greeting kindness with kindness.
13. Those Shoes by Maribeth Boelts
Editors Review
“I really like this book and so does my son. It shares a message of giving to the less fortunate and realising and being thankful for our own relative good luck."
14. The Thank You Book by Mary Lyn Ray by Sheri Wall
Editors Review
“This book is a great tool for teaching children about gratitude, for both small and bog things in their daily lives. The pictures are beautiful and inviting, and the text is simple and eloquent to give small children a good idea about what sorts of thing we can feel grateful for."
A tender tale, The Thank You Book teaches children that saying 'thank you' is about far more than good manners. It centres on being thankful for everyday life, from the smallest to the biggest parts of life.
15. Gracias/Thanks by Pat Mora
Editors Review
“This was a truly adorable book! The story was cute and the translation was good. We are an English speaking household in a Spanish-immersive program and really enjoyed the book. The story itself was really sweet and the fact that it was dual language was a bonus!"
Written through a collection of poetic sentences, a young boy of mixed heritage tells readers all about the things he's grateful for every day. There are also Spanish/English version, too, which means your child will be able to learn a little Spanish along the way... something else for them to be grateful for!
16. Did I Ever Tell You How Lucky You Are? by Dr. Seuss
Editors Review
“Always a favorite of mine when I was a kid, this book helps remind kids that they don't have it as bad they believe they do, while still being silly and fun. I highly recommend this if you have a kid who is always griping about things."
Ah Dr. Seuss! Of course we couldn't compile a list of books about gratitude without mentioning the great Dr. Seuss.
Did I Ever Tell You How Lucky You Are? focuses on seeing the light when all hope and joy feels lost. When a child reads this books, with Dr. Seuss' trademark rhymes, they'll no doubt feel a sense of thankfulness in spite of whatever it is in their life that is causing them anger, or fear, or worry, or stress.
The best books about gratitude for tweens (10-12)
Older readers can start to explore gratitude in more serious and complex ways. It may even be time to move on from picture books. These books have plenty to teach your child about being grateful in all walks of life.
17. White Bird: A Wonder Story by R. J. Palacio
Editors Review
“A very moving story beautifully told through words and pictures. Love this graphic novel. It is now one of my favorites and suitable for young people."
A graphic novel, White Bird follows the story of Julian and his wonderful discovery of family history. Having been set a school project, he learns all about his grandmother's childhood growing up in France during the Second World War. If that wasn't enough to help Julian feel thankful for his relative modern luxuries, his grandmother tells him that her life was saved by a boy she and her friends had previously ignored.
It helps to show the power of forgiveness and kindness, emphasising how gratitude can have a dramatic impact on our lives.
18. James and The Giant Peach by Roald Dahl
Editors Review
“This book was a childhood favorite of mine. My kids got to experience it as well so naturally I bought the book in preparation for the next generation coming to my family. This is a classic that I will share with generations to come."
Like Dr. Seuss, we couldn't not include Roald Dahl on this list!
We're sure you know the story of James and The Giant Peach, but it tells the story of James (duh!), an orphan boy who is bullied by his cruel aunties. He goes in search of love and friendship, and is all the more grateful when he finds it.
It shows children that, sometimes, we need to absence to truly feel grateful for something. Whether that the absence of love and friendship, in James' case, or the absence of a nice house or new toys.
Plus, this version smells like peaches!
19. Little Women by Louisa May Alcott by Sheri Wall
Editors Review
“There is nothing better to read than a classic. It is well written, and the storyline is spot on. The characters experience a roller coaster of emotions. The ending was beautiful."
One of the great classic tales, Louisa May Alcott's Little Women follows the story of four sisters as they grow up. It focuses on family, morality, personal growth and love, as well as recognising their personal flaws.
There's one scene in particular that explores gratitude and kindness in equal measure. While their father is away at war and the sisters are struggling, they head out into the snow to take their Christmas dinner to their less fortunate neighbours, delivering the ultimate message of gratitude; that having their family together was all they needed to find happiness.
20. Wink by Rob Harrell
Editors Review
“I absolutely loved Wink. It was a fantastic story about a boy who unfortunately is diagnosed with a rare eye cancer but manages to find himself despite the diagnosis."
Based on his own true story, Wink follows the story of a seventh-grader who is desperate to fit in with his peers. However, when he is diagnosed with eye cancer, he quickly realises that he will never fit in.
Using plenty of comedic comic art, Wink explores the many challenges of middle school and making friends that is as heartbreaking as it is uplifting, but equally hilarious, helping to show growing children that they always have something to be thankful for, and encouraging them to embrace their 'weirdness'.
21. Jude Banks, Superhero by Ann Hood
Editors Review
“Kids who've gone through this trauma will relate to Jude and his feelings. And kids who have not may use this book to understand. Tricky subject, beautifully written."
From the New York Times best-selling author, Ann Hood, Jude Banks, Superhero is a fantastic book exploring grief and gratitude's role in developing mental resilience when our lives are hard and we lose all hope.
It follows the story of Jude Banks, who suddenly lost in big sister and favourite person in the whole word, Katie. His follows his journey as he struggles to cope with the idea of life without her, and the nagging feeling that he caused her death. His life takes a turn for the better when he meets Clementine, who, like Jude, lost her own sister and blames herself for her death.
FAQs
Why are books about gratitude good for children?
From a young age, reading helps us to understand the world; whether it's the most simple things like colours and different objects, trickier things like our emotions, the complex ways the world works, or even help us to live our lives through books about saving money.
How do gratitude journals work?
Different journals work in slightly different ways, but most gratitude journals provide a daily framework to reflect upon, to identify different things from daily life that we are thankful for.
What are the benefits of gratitude?
As well has helping us to develop an appreciation of all the things in our lives and develop greater happiness, gratitude is known to improve physical health, lead to better sleep, help develop empathy, boost self-esteem, improve relationships. Gratitude also helps us to experience more positive emotions, too.
What are the best books about gratitude for Thanksgiving season?
Thanksgiving is for Giving Thanks by Margaret Sutherland is ideal for pre-schoolers, while I Am Thankful: A Thanksgiving Books for Kids by Sheri Wall is a great choice for older children who have started their reading journey.
Both of these books would make for an excellent gift during the Thanksgiving season.
Why are picture books about gratitude so effective for young children?
Picture books are a fantastic way to help teach children about so many different things, because we can correlate the words to the illustrations. When we talk about emotions, we can show them images of the characters experiencing those emotions - which helps immensely when it comes to gratitude.
