As the time of winter holidays and gifts approaches, and with Thanksgiving just behind us, now is a perfect time for kids and parents to reflect on gratitude. Who and what are you grateful for? And what are some ways that you can demonstrate your gratitude to others? One timeless way to say “thank you” is by sending someone a handwritten note, and, appropriately enough, December 26th, the day after most Christmas gifts have been received, is National Thank You Note Day. In honor of this, here are a handful of books about gratitude and thank you notes that kids and families can share during this holiday season:
First up, we have three books featuring some of my favorite animal protagonists. In “Splat Says Thank You!” by Rob Scotton, Splat the Cat’s mouse friend Seymour needs some cheering up, so Splat decides to write not just a thank you card, but a thank you book that lists all the reasons why their friendship means so much to him. In “Curious George Says Thank You” by Emily Flaschner Meyer, George tries to remember all the people who have been nice to him so he can send them handmade thank you cards. And “Thanks from the Very Hungry Caterpillar,” by Eric Carle, takes the form of a thank you note itself, with a dedication page at the beginning.
When Rabbit comes over to Pig’s house to play in Daniel Kirk’s “Ten Thank-you Letters,” he finds Pig writing a thank you letter to his grandmother for the sweater she bought for his birthday. Rabbit thinks this is a great idea, and, while Pig is writing his letter, he decides to write thank you notes to all the people he’s grateful for. By the time Pig is finished, Rabbit has already written eight different letters! And when he gets back from dropping them in the mailbox he writes one more letter to Pig for inspiring him. Then it’s time to play catch!
Books like “Grow Grateful” by Sage Foster-Lasser, “The Secret of Saying Thanks” by Douglas Wood, and the Zen Pig books “All That is Needed” and “The Art of Gratitude” by Mark Brown give helpful wisdom and advice on maintaining an “attitude of gratitude.”
And in “Thank You and Good Night” by Patrick McDonnell, we follow a trio of friends at a fun pajama party who, after a night of playing, dancing and looking at the stars, decide to make a long list of everything they are thankful for before they are tucked in for bed.
