November, A Month of Giving Thanks

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     Thoreau’s quote gives us food for thought. We should all be grateful for what we have and teach our children to be thankful each and every day and not just one day a year. This is not to say that we shouldn’t encourage our children to reach higher and strive for a bit more, but we should remember that there is always something in our life to be thankful for and that the experiences we go through in our lives, ultimately make us who we are. So spend some time with loved ones around the table or walking among the leaves and think about all that you are thankful for.

     It‘s rather fitting that November is National Sweet Potato Awareness month because that is often the vegetable of choice at Thanksgiving and National Stuffing Day is celebrated with Thanksgiving right around the corner. Try out some new recipes for the holiday but also share your old family favorites. Allow children to help out with the preparation of the family meal and when possible, bring the generations of your family together to build lasting memories. A story to consider might be Sweet Potato Pie by Kathleen D. Lindsey.

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November
National Peanut Butter Lovers, Pepper, Pomegranate, Raisin Bread & Sweet Potato Awareness Month

1st: National Calzone Day

     We couldn’t find any storybooks featuring calzones specifically, so we suggest you choose a pizza story  to read aloud instead.

1st: National Deep Fried Clam Day

Clam-I-Am!: All About the Beach by Tish Rabe

Sam the Clam: Adventures Under the Jetty by Dr. Lindsey Furman Dougherty PhD

3rd: National Sandwich Day

The Bear Ate Your Sandwich by Julia Sarcone-Roach

Sam's Sandwich by David Pelham

Carla's Sandwich by Debbie Herman

4th: National Candy Day

Are You Eating Candy Without Me? by Draga Jenny Malesevic

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl

6th: National Nachos Day

Nacho’s Nachos: The Story Behind the World’s Favorite Snack by Sandra Nickel

14th: National Pickle Day

Stop That Pickle! by Pete Armour

Pickle-Chiffon Pie by Jolly Roger Bradfield

Pickle Things by Marc Brown

Pickles to Pittsburgh by Judi Barrett

21st: National Stuffing Day

4th Thursday: Thanksgiving

     Take a look back at our previous blogs, Save a Turkey! Gobble up a good book! and Give Thanks for Books This November!, to see our favorite books to read aloud for Thanksgiving.

26th: National Cake Day

Let's Bake a Cake! by Anne-Sophie Baumann

Five Little Monkeys Bake a Birthday Cake by Eileen Christelow

The Magic School Bus Gets Baked in a Cake by Joanna Cole

Jake Baked the Cake by B. G. Hennessy

Froggy Bakes A Cake by Jonathan London

Marigold Bakes a Cake by Mike Marlbrough

Thunder Cake by Patricia Polacco

The Fairytale Cake by Mark Sperring

Whopper Cake by Karma Wilson

A Piece of Cake by LeUyen Pham

Piggies in the Kitchen by Michelle Meadows

Bunny Cakes by Rosemary Wells

Warthogs in the Kitchen by Pamela Duncan Edwards

Mr. Putter & Tabby Bake the Cake by Cynthia Rylant

28th: National French Toast Day

     Josh Funk's captivating series, Lady Pancake & Sir French Toast, can be read on a number of special days as each title features an entire cast of food characters.

Lady Pancake & Sir French Toast (Volume 1)

The Case of the Stinky Stench (Volume 2)

Mission Defrostable (Volume 3)

Short & Sweet (Volume 4)

Happy reading and baking!

-Kate @ BTBL

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Author

We are three generations that seek a way to get back to basics. It’s not that we eschew technology, but sometimes simpler is better, especially in raising our children. Mom was a reading teacher, Amanda is an early childhood educator and Kate a children’s literature specialist and former school librarian along with the latest additions, a daughter (now 5) for Kate, and two sons (now 2 and 1) for Amanda. We advocate reading aloud, the simple toys that use imagination and encourage creativity and learning in the kitchen, which can be a fun mess but also teaches life skills. Join us in raising healthy, happy, inquisitive and intelligent children.