The Berenstain Bears Give Thanks

The Berenstain Bears Living Lights

by Jan Berenstain, Mike Berenstain

Join Brother, Sister, and Honey Bear as they teach children about the first Thanksgiving with the pilgrims. Young readers will develop an understanding of God’s many blessings along with his deep mercy and grace in this addition to The Berenstain Bears Living Lights ™ series.? Join the Berenstain Bears as they explore the first Thanksgiving! The Berenstain cubs act out the first Thanksgiving complete with costumes, props, and a full Thanksgiving feast. But will Sister Bear’s pet turkey play the part of dinner?? Children will discover ways to implement traditional religious values and share God’s goodness in Zonderkidz The Berenstain Bears Living Lights ™ series of books. The Berenstain Bears Give Thanks :
The Berenstain Bears Living Lights™
The popular Zonderkidz Living Lights series has sold over 13 million copies since 2008. Look for additional inspirational children’s picture books in The Berenstain Bears Living Lights™ series.?

Genres: Thanksgiving, Picture Books, Childrens, Holiday, Fiction, Christian, Animals

32 pages, Paperback

First published July 30, 2009

About the author

Stan and Jan Berenstain (often called The Berenstains) were American writers and illustrators best known for creating the children's book series the Berenstain Bears. Their son Mike Berenstain joined them as a creative team in the late 1980s.

Reviews

[Lindsay]

The Berenstain Bears Gives Thanks is another excellent book to have for your child or children's bookshelves during the holiday season. Suppose you are looking for another good Thanksgiving book. This one is good.

The Berenstain Bears Gives Thanks is another excellent book to have for your child or children's bookshelves during the holiday season. Suppose you are looking for another good Thanksgiving book. This one is good.

This one somewhat brings in the fact of Sister's feelings about Thanksgiving dinner and a turkey. Have you had to distract a child from worrying and giving them something else to do? Well, this book shows that with Sister Bear and her worry about a turkey named Plymouth. Mama seems to come up with a suggestion that Sister can write a play about Thanksgiving or the Pilgrims Bears and their journey over to the new land. How we have our Thanksgiving feast and how it came about.

This book teaches several different life lessons and some meaningful things we should be thankful for. Children should be able to describe what Thanksgiving is at your house by their feelings or senses. What could they all be?

Some things children can do as they wait for the dinner on Thanksgiving occur act out or write a Thanksgiving story or what they think the Thanksgiving story is. You may be surprised what Thanksgiving means for them or your family.

Parents and grandparents might want to add this to your child's bookshelves, for they will want to read and reread it. It is terrific to read before the holiday.

[Kathryn (Dragon Bite Books)]

Review originally published on my blog, Nine Pages .

This was a long story time book, but one of my regulars showed up early, and I promised to read one book—whatever book she picked out. The prose in this book is prettier, more descriptive, the story more fleshed out with detail than what I usually read for story time, which was a nice change.

But this is a problematic book, relying too heavily on whitewashed history and doing little if anything to correct or clarify the narrative. Papa trades some furniture for a turkey from Farmer Ben—a living turkey. Ben’s named the turkey Squanto after “a Native Bear who helped the Pilgrims plant their corn when they settled in their new home.” I mean, I guess, Ben. Sister Bear doesn’t like the idea of meeting her Thanksgiving dinner while he’s alive. She wants to keep Squanto as a pet. She visits him at the farm as the weather grows colder. To distract Sister from the idea of eating Squanto, Mama Bear proposes a costumed show of the legend of Thanksgiving. “We’ll need feathers for the Native Bears’ headdresses.” No you won’t, Mama Bear. Honey Bear represents Squanto the Native Bear with a full headdress of turkey feathers and speaking broken English: “Me, Squanto!” her only line. Admittedly, Honey Bear is not portrayed as speaking good English, and I suppose the cast is limited to the preexisting characters, but…. “He speaks English! What a miracle!” Miracle it is not, Cousin Fred, though maybe there is some miracle in Squanto finding his way back to his own land if not his own village after all his trials. The whole legend of Thanksgiving as told in this story is the whitewashed imagining that we hear “in school over and over again every November” (or we did when I was in public school; I hope today’s tellings are a little more nuanced, a little more accurate) with no discussion of the horrors visited on Native Americans by the European invaders.

That doesn't even begin in on the problems of reminding children that our Thanksgiving feast features a once-living bird, and that it might be possible to persuade their parents to skip the bird and to keep the bird as a pet instead because Squanto the Turkey survives, is given a new pen in the Bears’ backyard. Parents should be prepared to answer questions that Sister Bear's feeling for Squanto might stir.

It’s difficult to avoid religion when discussing the First Thanksgiving, and this book does not, the Bears’ prayer even included in the text.

[Christy]

This is a cute book that my boys like me to read to them.

[Elaine]

Read this to my kids tonight. Very cute. A little long. Kinda strange the good reads picked it up that I read it though.

[Bryan]

I have always loved this series. Love reading them to my kids more.

[Margaret Chind]

As the weather turns cool and the leaves turn to red and orange I seem to be reaching for the orange books myself. Coming from P Is for Pumpkin: God's Harvest Alphabet, The Pumpkin Patch Parable and Mary's First Thanksgiving: An Inspirational Story of Gratefulness I am delighted to have another one to add to my Fall Seasons pile in The Berenstain Bears series. I love these books with such a great message of family and love of God where it should be. This book is a special one that touches on a true example of bartering that children do not often see, but also for the cares and understanding of a child's emotion traditions were altered for a year. I think that the interactivity and encouragement from this Berenstain Bears book about Giving Thanks is a great example for any child and I recommend it.

*Thanks to Gwen of Zondervan for providing a copy for review.*

Online story time FREE read: http://www.scribd.com/doc/21451595/Th...

[Luisa Knight]

It would have been a fun, recommendable book if they hadn't have ruined it by having sister get attached to the turkey and Mama and Papa bear deciding not to eat it for Thanksgiving. Why would you introduce that thought to kids and then not help them get over it?

Ages: 4 - 8

Cleanliness: nothing to note.

**Like my reviews? Then you should follow me! Because I have hundreds more just like this one. With each review, I provide a Cleanliness Report, mentioning any objectionable content I come across so that parents and/or conscientious readers (like me) can determine beforehand whether they want to read a book or not. Content surprises are super annoying, especially when you’re 100+ pages in, so here’s my attempt to help you avoid that!

So Follow or Friend me here on GoodReads! And be sure to check out my bio page to learn a little about me and the Picture Book/Chapter Book Calendars I sell on Etsy!

[Miri]

Papa bear has made a deal with Farmer Ben, trading furniture for a huge Thanksgiving turkey called Squanto, but sister bear has made friends with Squanto, how could she eat this wonderful new friend? Of course mama knows just what to do to make everything turn out right.

[Tania]

Great book to read during Holidays (Thanksgiving) teaches their children how to be thankful.

[K]

It teaches how the pilgrims discovered the new world and how the Indians taught the pilgrims how to hunt and grow food

[Marjorie]

“Over the river and through the woods, to grandmother’s house we go.”

This book follows the motley bear crew as they anxiously head to eat Thanksgiving feast at the grandparent’s house. Snow has fallen, the autumnal colors are muted in white sheets, and the bears are mulling over the historical context of the holiday and the many ways they have been blessed on a family level by the heritage of the first “pilgrim” bears.

[Christine]

I was feeling bad for Plymouth the turkey the whole time & wondering how a storyline like this could get resolved. I didn't think the fish solution was very Thanksgivingesque nor did it seem any different then eating another living, breathing animal. Really the only Thanksgiving element is the play the bears put on about the holiday's history that is shoved into the middle of the book. Not my favorite Berenstain or Thanksgiving book.

[Grace Hampton]

I love all Berenstain Bears books. But this one is my favorite! Sister Bear loves Squanto the turkey, but Papa Bear wants to eat him for Thanksgiving! I actually experienced this, but instead of having the turkey as a pet, my parents told me to suck it up lol

[Eleanor Whisenhunt]

It was just so fun to read this book! It had colorful pictures and lots of other stuff I liked. Also, I love that sister bear and brother bear did a play. And the funniest thing in the book was at the end of the book when they were having dinner instead of a turkey in the middle, there was a fish!

[DAMON PAUL WINTERS]

THE BERENSTAIN BEARS GIVE THANKS just hits right! ✅️ This is a thoughtful little tale about being mindful of others AND their views, showing thankfulness for all the blessings you receive, and honoring the GOOD that came from THE FIRST THANKSGIVING! #HighlyRecommend 👍

[Sarah]

A fun Thanksgiving children’s book.

[Kelly]

Cute as usual, but "Native Bears" was confusing for my kids.

[Kristin]

am I counting this in my reads for the year? yes. it's a classic. sue me

[Ali Tedrow]

Such a wonderful read!!!!!

We love the lessons this series teaches kids. We also love how fun and exciting the books are. We would recommend this book to everyone(:

[Cristina Laurel]

It is a good book for seventh or eight years old to read by themselves, because it is very long for little kids.

Tuesday December 9th, 2025

[Elizabeth Gibbs]

I laughed so hard at the ending. I wondered how this was going to end with sister being so attached to her new friend.

[Catherine]

A cute, classical look at Thanksgiving, including ideas about being thankful, celebrating with family, and children putting on a play about the Pilgrims and Native Americans/indigenous people. For young children, about 7 years old and younger. Some of the ideas seem very traditional today and may not please some adults. My students liked it.

[Christine]

I'd give this book no stars if it were possible. The Squanto storyline and portrayal of native americans is stereotypical at best and downright racist at worst. I don't want my kids reading this and thinking this is how colonialism in early america went down. Very disappointed in the authors and Zondervan for publishing this book.

http://americanindiansinchildrenslite...

[Jaime]

We love all berenstain bear books!