7 Books About Gratitude for Kids
Telling a kid to say thank you is easy. Teaching a kid to feel thankful is a different thing entirely. Gratitude in children doesn't come from being told they should be grateful. It comes from noticing. noticing what someone did for them, noticing what they have, noticing the small, ordinary moments that are actually not ordinary at all. These books don't lecture about thankfulness. They show characters paying attention to the world around them, and the warmth that creates.
For the kid who's learning what generosity looks like
Thank You, Omu! by Oge Mora is about an elderly woman who makes a delicious pot of stew. The smell drifts out her window and one by one, everyone in the neighborhood comes by and she shares with each of them. By dinnertime, the pot is empty. The twist is tender and communal and Oge Mora's collage illustrations. made from painted paper, newspaper, and fabric. won her a Caldecott Honor. This book teaches gratitude by showing its mirror: generosity that gives everything and still ends up full.
The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein is the most debated children's book ever written. A tree gives everything. her apples, her branches, her trunk. to a boy who keeps taking. Is it a story about unconditional love? Selfishness? Codependency? You'll have your own answer, and your child will have theirs, and the conversation between those two answers is the point. Whatever you think of the ethics, the book makes kids notice what it costs to give, which is a form of gratitude most children's books don't touch.
For the kid who takes the good stuff for granted
Last Stop on Market Street by Matt de la Peña appears on several of our lists because it does several things at once. For gratitude specifically, this is a book about a grandmother teaching her grandson to see beauty where he expected nothing. CJ asks why they don't have a car, why they have to ride the bus, why they're going to this neighborhood. Nana doesn't say "be grateful." She says "look closer." That's the whole lesson. Newbery Medal winner.
Those Shoes by Maribeth Boelts is about wanting the shoes every other kid has and not being able to afford them. Jeremy's journey from wanting to having (the wrong size) to giving (to the kid who needs them more) is a quiet tutorial in appreciating what you have. not because someone told you to, but because you watched yourself want something so badly that you could finally recognize wanting in someone else.
For the kid who needs a simple way to practice gratitude
The Thank You Book by Mo Willems is the final Elephant & Piggie book, and it's Piggie at her most Piggie. She decides she needs to thank everyone who's ever been important to her, and the list keeps growing until it becomes absurd and then circles back to heartfelt. Mo Willems makes gratitude feel like excitement, not obligation. For kids ages 4-7 who already know Elephant & Piggie, this is the perfect entry. For kids who don't, start with any Elephant & Piggie book. they'll get here eventually.
Bear Says Thank You by Michael Dahl is for the youngest kids. Bear's friends help him through his day, and he says thank you to each one. It's a board book. It's simple. It pairs the words "thank you" with specific actions (helping, sharing, waiting) so that toddlers begin to connect the phrase to a feeling rather than just parroting it.
More to explore
More options: The World Gave Me You (Zach Bush), I Am Thankful (Suzy Capozzi), Bear's Harvest Moon (Karma Wilson), Ordinary Mary's Extraordinary Deed (Emily Pearson), The Thankful Book (Todd Parr)
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