Resources for Raising Conscious Kids: November 2023 Edition

As an agency, Bridgetown Baby is deeply committed to confronting bias within ourselves, building our skills, and creating an inclusive model of care that authentically serves our clients and contributes to culture change. This is work we all can do. It starts with us; it continues with our children - and we are their most important teachers. Each month, we'll be sharing resources for talking with kids about bias, celebrating diversity, and actions our families can take to create a world we all can live in.

As we walk through the month of November toward Thanksgiving, the cultural weight of the holiday bears consideration. Many Native Americans don't "celebrate" Thanksgiving as it is celebrated in mainstream American culture - yet Native Americans are central to the Thanksgiving story that’s highlighted in many of the books on the market for children.

The text of Giving Thanks: A Native American Good Morning Message is based on the Thanksgiving Address, an “ancient message of peace and appreciate of Mother Earth and all her inhabitants,” from the Native people known as Haudenosee, Iroquois or Six Nations of Upstate New York and Canada.

Together with illustrations of people in harmony with the natural world, the book offers a rich take on the concept of gratitude that invites children and families to think about giving thanks in a holistic way that recognizes the experiences of first peoples of our nation.

For more books that educate about the Native American perspective on Thanksgiving and offer new traditions to incorporate, check out resources here and here.

Look for Giving Thanks: A Native American Good Morning Message at your local library, or purchase at your local independent book shop or online at Powell’s.com.