11 books that teach kids about gratitude

Add one of these stories — some are new, some are classics — to your holiday shopping list and you might just hear a heartfelt ‘thank you’

These books aren’t all directly about gratitude. But they all offer a chance to chat or think about appreciating another person’s effort, gifts or generosity. These books can also help build empathy by reminding kids how nice it feels to be appreciated. They can help children understand that resources like food and time are limited, so they shouldn’t be wasted or taken for granted. And some of these books have a message that life’s best gifts can’t be simply bought or sold.

took a playful approach. Would you do the same thing or try something different?

table. Too square? Too green? Too carrot-y? Too bad! Written in peppy verse that’s decidedly fun to read aloud, this story lives up to its name and suggests it is quite silly — nay, ridiculous — for a parent to cater to kids’ food whims without limits. Expressive illustrations help kids see — maybe even feel — the mother’s exhaustion. (In the end, the kids redeem themselves with a delicious and surprising act of generosity.)

Gratitude tie-in: Being ungrateful and rejecting food is doubly wasteful: of the food itself and of the caretaker’s work. Also, one can show appreciation with words, but also with a kind gesture.

Discussion pointer for older children: As it shows the toll of pickiness on a people-pleasing mama, the story advances a second message about setting boundaries. Kids can be invited to consider: Does setting a boundary help the parent, the child, or both? What kind of boundaries have they set in their own lives and what was the benefit of that, for either party?

‘Fox the Tiger,’ written and illustrated by Corey R. Tabor

This is a quick, fun read with parents, but it’s also designed for beginning readers. A fox wishes it were a fast, strong tiger. So it paints on some stripes and acts tiger-y. Which gives a turtle an idea: to put on a helmet and act like a race car. Which gives a bunny the idea: to don a cardboard box and act like a robot. And so on. Animal after animal wishes it were different (read: better). Until ... the fox meets a squirrel who pronounces that being a fast, smart fox would be the squirrel’s dream come true. Well, that sure puts things in perspective, doesn’t it?

Gratitude tie-in: Being grateful for what you have and what you are is another important kind of generosity: generosity toward yourself.

Discussion pointer for older children: Maybe it’s time to introduce the Joneses, America’s most toxic neighbors. Are the Joneses to blame for making you feel worthless, or are you yourself to blame for your unrelenting envy — or is the root of it all a culture that so rewards material comparison and competition?

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