If you study turkeys around Thanksgiving, you need these books on your shelf! These are the best kids Thanksgiving books featuring turkeys.
Studying turkeys around Thanksgiving is such a fun unit. These turkey books are some of the best kids Thanksgiving books out there! They pair perfectly with the holiday and with a nonfiction turkey unit.
These fiction books tie the two themes together nicely. There are books the share factual information about turkeys and books that features turkeys as the main character.
Some of them are really funny, some are really sweet. All of them have been tried and tested in my classroom.
This post contains affiliate links. By purchasing through this link, we get a small commission. Rest assured – we only share links to products that we know and love!
Turkey Trouble
This is our number one, absolute favorite turkey book every year. We don’t just read it and put it away. It inspires a whole fun project: disguise a turkey!
The turkey in this book is in trouble. Thanksgiving is coming up and he’s on the menu. He tries to disguise himself as different animals but doesn’t find the best costume until the very end.
My students love to think of different ways he could have escaped becoming Thanksgiving dinner. After reading this story, they each think of a special disguise for their turkey. They write what it looks like and create the costume in real life!
See “Turkey Trouble” on AmazonLittle Tom Turkey
This excellent fiction book could almost be considered nonfiction because of all of the facts and vocabulary it uses as it shares the story of little Tom. You follow him as he goes from hatching all the way to a grown Tom turkey.
Throughout the story you’ll encounter a ton of great vocabulary as well as what turkeys do, what they eat, who their predators are and more.
The end of the book features an illustration of a full grown turkey tom and hen as well as questions and answers about wild turkeys. My students are fascinated by all of these nonfiction details!
See “Little Tom Turkey” on AmazonToo Many Turkeys
This story is a crowd favorite and definitely deserves to be on a list of the best Thanksgiving books for kids! Too Many Turkeys is about a turkey who wanders into a family garden. Fred wants to keep the turkey but his wife, Belle, isn’t so sure.
This story explains the benefit of a turkey to a garden (fertilizer!) and uses vocabulary like “poult” that we learn in our turkey unit. It’s such a fun story and is usually read several times in my classroom.
See “Too Many Turkeys” on AmazonGobble, Gobble
In this story we follow a little girl named Jenny as she explores the wildlife around her house. She finds interesting tracks that lead her to a flock of wild turkeys. Jenny observes the turkeys through the seasons of the year and comments on the different things they do.
This book is short and sweet. The end of the book has an entry from “Jenny’s Journal.” She shares facts that she learned from her local library as well as different things she found (like feathers and tracks) and art projects she has done of turkeys.
We love to do an art project with this story based on Jennny’s Journal. We tear scrap paper to create turkeys just like she did!
See “Gobble, Gobble” on AmazonA Plump and Perky Turkey
I’m going to be honest, here. I simply cannot resist the title of this book! I smile every single time I read it. ☺️
I’m so pleased to say, the story lives up to it’s name! This book is about a bunch of turkeys who have gotten too smart to come around town for Thanksgiving. The town devises a plan to lure the turkeys in by asking for Turkey models for their arts and crafts fair.
My students crack up every single time we read this story. It’s definitely one you want on your shelf for a turkey unit!
See “A Plump and Perky Turkey” on AmazonA Turkey for Thanksgiving
This super sweet story is one of my favorites. It’s about a turkey who is afraid to go to the Thanksgiving dinner because he thinks he is the main course.
Mrs. Moose asks Mr. Moose to find a turkey to complete their Thanksgiving dinner set up. His friends help him look but they can’t find Turkey. As you’re reading the story, your students may wonder if the turkey is for eating or to be a guest. We like to make guesses as the story goes on to try to figure it out.
I love that the purpose of this story is to share that Thanksgiving is about friends and family gathering together. It is my favorite book to read right before we go on our Thanksgiving break.
See “A Turkey for Thanksgiving” on AmazonSee all of these Thanksgiving Books About Turkeys on Amazon!
Do you read any turkey books to your class? What do you think are the best kids Thanksgiving books? I am always expanding my collection. 🤗 Let me know your favorites below 👇
If you’re looking for more themed book lists, check this page out: The Ultimate List of Picture Book Read Alouds
