In November
We read more in November. The cooler weather and first snow storms begin to tuck us in for the winter. This week, our mornings have been slower as we’ve curled up with good books to read and listen to by our cackling wood burning fireplace. And now as the sun sets earlier in the evening, I’ve noticed the kids gravitating to a similar evening routine…logs on the fire and more books.
Today I’m sharing some of our favorite books to read this time of year. But, first I wanted to chat a little bit about home libraries and why collecting seasonal books have become important to us.
Starting a Home Library
We’ve always had LOTS of Christmas books. My mom saved mine from my childhood and I am so glad she did. I love them so much and love reading them with my children now. But, for all the other holidays around here - I have only ever had maybe a few books for each season - if that.
So as a new homeschooler, we utilized the library a lot because I found so much joy in rotating out seasonal books and reading them with the kids. It took homeschooling for me to be a bit more aware and serious about good monthly book rotations. So, if you find yourself in a similar stage — in a home with not too many books, but wanting to add more without the cost and taking up space - this is the best way to do it. I am a big believer between book readings on YouTube and library resources - you have access to so many amazing books and you could literally homeschool your kids for free from these resources.
The only thing with the library is for most seasonal books, you do have to reserve far in advance because seasonal books go fast. I quickly realized I really disliked having to reserve and fight to get certain books each season. We do read a lot of books for unit studies we can more easily put on hold. But, a lot of these books we don’t come back to very regularly. However, holiday books are the ones we come back to over and over every year and every season. They’re the ones creating memories and nostalgia mixed with tradition. There is something about just being able to pull favorites off the shelf anytime of the year - for pure enjoyment or in a lesson. And, so I just love this vision of a seasonal book collection for our home. One I can pass down to my children like my parents passed down to me.
As we’ve been building our home library, we have a homeschool funding program we’re apart of so this has helped tremendously! I’ve done a few big book hauls to start off our base collections (this year I did a bigger one for Fall Books), but previously, I'd usually just buy one or two books per season or holiday and this is a lot more doable without funding programs. If you’re just starting out and wanting to build up a larger collection at home, my advice is to check out some books at your local library and start a wish list of the ones you know you may want to add to your collection.
Favorite Books to Read in November
We already have a great little collection of November books so this year I just added one that’s been on our wish list - Balloons Over Broadway. It’s that kind of book that when November hit, I just kept thinking about it from the last few years and so that’s a good sign I knew we needed to have it in our collection. So this year I won’t need to go to the library for gratitude books, pilgrim stories, and Thanksgiving books. Maybe next year we’ll add another one, maybe not.
Here’s a good list to get you started though! Books marked with an * are currently available on Amazon’s Buy 3 for 2 sale. Even if you don’t buy now, I try to add books to my wish list when they’re currently on sale so when the next sale comes around, I have a few ready to go.
Let’s start with my top 5. The rest of these books are all good, but if I just had to pick five to start with I would go with these.
Give Thanks to the Lord: There is something about picture books and scripture that I just love!
Thanks for Thanksgiving * I love the illustrations in this book. We used this one to kick off our gratitude journals this month and it was perfect.
Balloons Over Broadway * This is about the history of the Macy’s parade. It’s a true story and this year we looked up and watched some of the old Macy parades on YouTube! They even have video of the very first one in 1924. It was SO fun and I would totally recommend doing this.
Thanksgiving in the Woods * Another winner on the illustrations. I also love the story and dream of doing this!
Squanto and the Miracle of Thanksgiving: There are two popular Squanto books - Squanto’s Journey written by Joseph Bruchac has more appealing illustrations, but I like the story of this one better.
In November This is a cute story and the title is always just so appealing the first of November.
Fall Leaves: I added this book in my September haul this year, but I think I’ll move it to our November rotation because it works really well with the first snow storms where we live.
Three Young Pilgrims: This didn’t make my top 5 because its a longer picture books - best for older children, but it is still one of my favorites.
Pilgrim Stories: This makes a great read aloud for the month. We read this when my twins were 8 and they did get bored with some parts so I just summarized it, but I’d still recommend it. I learned a lot!
The Boy Who Fell Off The Mayflower: This is a longer picture book, but it’s an important story. If you share my faith in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, you may enjoy reading this post I did about this book a few years ago.
If You Sailed On The Mayflower in 1620: This is an book to have on hand. Not one we read much for nostalgia, but we did a mini unit with this a few years ago and I’ll use it when my boys are older.
There Was An Old Lady Who Swallowed A Turkey If you follow me closely, you’ll know we have one of these for nearly every season now - just a classic kids favorite at this point.
My First Thanksgiving Board Book: I usually have a few board books for each holiday from our baby and toddler years. This is the one we have for Thanksgiving. Simple and cute!
This year we’ve been working on simplifying our home — I’m hoping to talk more about that soon. But, books are not an area we want to simplify much of ha! I do hope to only keep the ones we love…but that is a lot! Any other favorite November books I can add to my list for next year? Let me know!
