Best Memorial Day Picture Books
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Stories are ideal for teaching children about difficult topics like war. We’ve rounded up the best Memorial Day Picture Books to help you tackle this complex topic.
Memorial Day is a day of mourning and remembrance. We honor and remember those we’ve lost to war and recognize their sacrifice. It can be challenging to convey this to young children, but we can all appreciate the importance of doing so.
So how can you help your child understand and appreciate the complexity of this day? As always, our answer is to start with a story.
Did you know that Memorial Day was known for many years as Decoration Day and was first celebrated by the formerly enslaved community in Charleston, South Carolina right after the Civil War ended? This picture book tells the story of that special first Memorial Day:
A Day for Rememberin’: Inspired by the True Events of the First Memorial Day
A Day for Rememberin': Inspired by the True Events of the First Memorial Day: A moving tribute to the little-known history behind the first Memorial Day.
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This is exactly the kind of book that helps a child understand layers of a complex topic little by little, one story at a time. Stories like this help a child connect to a situation and understand through the eyes of characters they get to know. It becomes personal, which makes the learning more meaningful and lasting.
We’ve rounded up our favorite picture books about Memorial Day. You’ll find a variety of stories to share with children of all ages.
Note: All book covers have clickable links.
Make Memorial Day Poppies
When should you wear a poppy?
Traditionally, poppies are worn to remember those who have died in the service of their country.
In the US we wear poppies on Memorial Day. Commonwealth countries wear poppies on Remembrance Day (November 11th). This date also happens to be the same day the US celebrates its living veterans (Veteran’s Day) so poppies are not traditionally worn on November 11th in the US.
Make your own poppies to wear this Memorial Day with our simple tutorial found below.
