Cranberry Thanksgiving by Harry and Wende Devlin is one of those cozy, nostalgic, perfect autumnal picture books. I remember my 4th-grade teacher reading it aloud to my class days before Thanksgiving break, as turkey crafts lined our walls and visions of a delicious dinner played in my mind. As a North Carolina girl, the cranberry bogs and fall landscapes of New England found in the illustrations fascinated me. The homey pictures, the cheerful cranberry bread (that I imagined as sweet and warm), and the timeless themes from the book make it a favorite of mine still to this day.
Cranberry Thanksgiving is more than just a cozy holiday read-aloud. This story is an interesting cross-curricular springboard for literacy, geography, science, and more. With its interesting variety of engaging activities to explore after reading, Cranberry Thanksgiving is sure to become a cherished addition to your classroom bookshelf.
Publisher’s Synopsis:
Today was Thanksgiving, Grandmother’s favorite day of the year. The cooking was done, and her famous cranberry bread was cooling on the wooden board. Every year, Grandmother invited a guest for dinner and allowed Maggie to do the same. “Ask someone poor or lonely,” she always said. She wasn’t happy upon learning that Maggie had invited the unsavory Mr. Whiskers to dinner. Would her secret cranberry bread recipe be safe with him in the house? After a long absence, this delightful 1971 classic is back, and so is the secret recipe for Grandmother’s Famous Cranberry Bread!
With its rich themes, cross-curricular connections, and timeless lessons, this book offers endless opportunities for meaningful learning in the classroom. Let’s dive into six activities for Cranberry Thanksgiving.
#1 Cranberry Thanksgiving Themes Explained
Cranberry Thanksgiving has such universal themes, such as heartwarming friendship, gratitude, “Sticking Up For One’s Friends,” and “Don’t Judge a Book by Its Cover.” As Maggie invites an unsavory fellow named Mr. Whiskers to Thanksgiving dinner, her Grandma is annoyed and believes that he is only there to steal her coveted cranberry bread recipe. Grandma has invited a gentleman, Mr. Horace, to dinner and fawns over him. Little does Grandma know who the real thief is and which is the true gentleman who will come to their rescue!
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To dive deeper into the story’s themes, students can list the lessons the author wants readers to learn and choose one meaningful message, like “Friends Stick Up for One Another,” to bring to life through an illustration.
Explore these themes further with a fun craft. Since the book centers around a mysterious cranberry bread recipe, students can consider the symbolic messages that make up the theme of thankfulness in the book by putting together a recipe for gratitude. From adding a dash of laughter to a pinch of joy, students write their recipe and directions, such as “bake until golden.” Finally, students illustrate their symbolic elements in a mixing bowl, such as hearts for love, a smiley face for joy, and a spoonful of sugar for sweetness.
If you’re interested in the Recipe for Gratitude Craft and the theme activities, grab our Cranberry Thanksgiving resource.
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#2 Thanksgiving Traditions for Cranberry Thanksgiving
In Cranberry Thanksgiving, Grandma’s yearly tradition was to bake her famous cranberry bread, along with inviting a guest to dinner. Explore the Thanksgiving traditions of your class by creating a whole-class, collaborative book. Students write and illustrate about their own Thanksgiving traditions in their families. Then, the teacher places the writing pieces and illustrations together in a book to be read aloud to the class. It’s a simple and wonderful way to explore the personal traditions of your class and make a connection to the story.
Explore traditions in another collaborative book by having students record a special Thanksgiving recipe their family makes. Join the recipes together into a classroom recipe book to be read aloud, shared, and even printed for each family to read.
Love these ideas? We have the templates you need to make both of these books in our Cranberry Thanksgiving book companion.
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#3 Explore Geography with Cranberry Thanksgiving
The unique cranberry bogs and beautiful New England fall landscapes drew me in when I first read this story and makes this book so special. Explore the setting by diving into how cranberries are grown and harvested, the anatomy of cranberries, and the geography of where cranberries are grown. Read interesting nonfiction books or articles all about cranberries and New England, and have students research and map out the specific states that grow cranberries. Students can even create a salt-dough map with the cranberry states painted red. This would make for a fun, hands-on, interactive project leading up to Thanksgiving.
Interested in these ideas? Our Cranberry Thanksgiving book companion includes nonfiction articles, pictures, and information about how and where cranberries are grown, including a map activity and salt-dough instructions as well.
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#4 Cranberry Science
After exploring the anatomy of a cranberry, take it a step further and complete various science experiments. Explore the buoyancy of cranberries and the unique structure of this fruit by conducting a floating experiment. Additionally, test other fruits, such as blueberries and grapes, to see if they float, and compare and contrast the results with the cranberries. Furthermore, try performing the same experiment with frozen cranberries and observing the results.
When science and literacy meet, it’s always magic! You can grab this science experiment and graphic organizers that explore the Scientific Method in our Cranberry Thanksgiving resource.
#5 Cranberry Taste Testing & Cooking with Cranberry Thanksgiving
My family had a strict ‘no cranberry sauce’ policy for Thanksgiving. Neither of my parents cared for it, so I never tried it until much later in life, when I was married and my husband absolutely loved it at Thanksgiving. Now, I make the cranberry sauce every year!
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Some of your students might have never tried cranberries before or may have avoided taste-testing this fruit, but in a classroom full of peers, they may feel the freedom to try it. Complete a fun taste-testing exercise in which students try fresh cranberries, dried cranberries, cranberry sauce, cranberry juice, and cranberry bread. This would be such a fun and engaging activity the week of Thanksgiving. Students record their opinions and explore sensory words as they describe the cranberries using the five senses.
Another authentic and interactive activity is to bake the cranberry bread using Grandma’s own recipe. On the back of the book is the very recipe Grandma uses to make her bread. You can utilize it too to bake with your students. Students participate in collectively baking the bread. Then, students can record their thoughts on how well the baking went, how it tasted, and any other opinions they have. If you have access to a school kitchen, homeschool, or even use a toaster oven in your classroom, this would be a fun activity to do during the weeks leading up to Thanksgiving.
Interested in these ideas? Grab everything you need to carry out these activities in our resource.
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#6 Writing Opportunities with Cranberry Thanksgiving
In the story, Grandma encourages her granddaughter to invite someone to Thanksgiving dinner. This is the perfect opportunity for students to practice letter writing. They can hop into Maggie’s shoes and create an invitation, and write a letter inviting someone to Grandma’s Thanksgiving dinner. Students will need to use their persuasion writing skills to convince someone to attend.
Another writing activity for this book is to explore the theme of “Don’t Judge a Book by its Cover.” Grandma learns a big lesson in judging others when it comes to an incident with Mr. Horace and Mr. Whiskers. Students can learn that we should never judge others based on their appearances. Similarly, they will learn never judge the taste of a pie based on what it looks like. They can also write about a time when they learned a similar lesson. Perhaps instead they can explain why it’s important not to judge people based on their appearances. Finally, the students can place their writing in a fun pie template to complete the writing activity called ‘Never Judge a Pie by Its Crust.’
Both of these writing activities are included in our Cranberry Thanksgiving resource. Grab it today!
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Cranberry Thanksgiving Resource
Bring the story of Cranberry Thanksgiving to life with this engaging and comprehensive book companion. Students will dive into reading and writing activities that blend literacy, science, and creativity. From exploring a Cranberry Nonfiction Article with Comprehension Questions to analyzing the Author’s Craft and Figurative Language, this book companion helps students strengthen critical thinking skills while having fun. Students will compare characters with Cranberry Venn Diagrams, reflect on gratitude with the Recipe for a Thankful Thanksgiving Writing Craft. They will even get hands-on with a Cranberry Science Investigation and Taste Test Experiment. Additional activities include Grandma’s Famous Cranberry Recipe, Letter Writing Invitations, and a Thanksgiving Traditions Collaborative Class Book. These activities make this the perfect cross-curricular unit. It celebrates the season with learning, creativity, and a touch of cranberry-inspired fun! With 14 activities, this resource can keep your students engaged all November long!
Conclusion
Cranberry Thanksgiving truly captures the heart of the holiday season with warmth, gratitude, and the simple joys of sharing food and kindness. Whether your students are exploring themes of friendship and generosity, diving into cranberry science, or creating their own thankful recipes, they’ll remember this cozy Thanksgiving story for years to come. Celebrate the season with Cranberry Thanksgiving and watch your classroom fill with creativity, curiosity, and gratitude!
