This week I visited our library's children's section in order to stockpile some favorite books to read to my favorite little people in the next couple of weeks. This particular planning ahead may mean more to me personally than getting pumpkin (actually butternut squash) chocolate chip cookies baked and into the freezer, but our grandchildren will appreciate both. Some people may be good at just telling stories from memory to children, but for me, reading activities and books help a lot; (certainly the more interesting ones, the better)!

From Mike Smith of HSLDA: "Your children will delight in stories about Thanksgiving from famous American authors. Louisa May Alcott tells a charming story in “An Old-fashioned Thanksgiving.” Or, read aloud Laura Ingalls Wilder’s account of a pioneer Thanksgiving, On the Banks of Plum Creek. Older readers may enjoy the New England flavor of Washington Irving’s tales of colonial America. And there are lots of Thanksgiving and harvest-themed picture books for younger readers—just visit your library!"

Homeschooling families as well as public school classrooms may be doing units on Native Americans and all sorts of early-American historical learning right now. Mike adds: "But your Thanksgiving English unit wouldn’t be complete without some of the great poems of the season. Edgar Guest, John Greenleaf Whittier, James Whitcomb Riley, and many other famous American poets have celebrated this season in memorable verse." One of these would be great to memorize for reciting at dinner to grandparents.

Anyone want to share their favorite poems or stories for this great time of year? Don't you love the emphasis we get on gratitude? Gratitude to me is a huge part of happiness and contentment.