With Thanksgiving only days away, it is a time to not only share our family traditions but to also help our children learn how Thanksgiving actually came to be.  The following is a great list of books to share with your children as you sit together for a bedtime story or on a long drive to grandma's house.

"The Pilgrim's First Thanksgiving" by Ann McGovern and Elroy Freem.  Told for children ages 4-8, "The Pilgrims First Thanksgiving" tells of the Pilgrim's struggles during that first year at Plymouth Colony and the events that led to the first celebration of Thanksgiving. 

"The Thanksgiving Story" by Alice Dalgliesh.  Per Amazon.com: "The Thanksgiving Story "is the only really distinguished book we have on that holiday. Miss Dalgliesh has told the Pilgrim story simply from the point of view of the Hopkins family whose little Oceanus was born on the Mayflower; and Miss Sewell has made wonderful full-color pictures. A beautiful book.  This book is also geared for children ages 4-8.

"If You Were at the First Thanksgiving" by Anne Kamma.  This book is from the "If You" series of books that offers questions and answers about the first Thanksgiving and what life was like in America in the 1620's.  Fully illustrated, this book is for ages 4-8.

"Squanto and the Miracle of the First Thanksgiving" by Eric Mataxus.  Told from a Christian perspective, this books shows that the hero of the first Thanksgiving was neither white nor Indian, but God.  Per the book itself:  "In 1608, English traders came to Massachusetts and captured a 12-year old Indian, Squanto, and sold him into slavery. He was raised by Christians and taught faith in God. Ten years later he was sent home to America. Upon arrival, he learned an epidemic had wiped out his entire village. But God had plans for Squanto. God delivered a Thanksgiving miracle: an English-speaking Indian living in the exact place where the Pilgrims land in a strange new world."  This book is also for ages 4-8.

There are perhaps dozens of books on the topic of Thanksgiving available for you and your children to read.  These are just a small sampling for you to choose from.  Whichever book you choose, in our fast paced world we sometimes forget about what Thanksgiving is all about.  These stories will help us remember how it all began and all that we have to be thankful for.