I'm a Turkey

I'm a Turkey!
by Jim Arnosky

Scholastic
ISBN: 9780439903646

What is it?
A picture book about our nation's favorite dinner...oops, we mean our nation's favorite bird, of course...by folk singer and naturalist Jim Arnosky.

What do we love about it?
In addition to learning about how turkeys live in the wild, young readers will have fun peeping, squawking, squabbling and talking turkey throughout the book. Or download the song here for a turkey-talking singalong!

What does it remind us of?
Dinner. (We cannot tell a lie.)

What is it perfect for?
A fun Thanksgiving read aloud, but it would also work any time of year since there is no specific reference to the holiday.

What do we say about it?
This one's a fowl favorite! Two feathers up!

Beauty and the Beaks

Beauty and the Beaks - A Turkey's Cautionary Tale
MJ and Herm Auch
Holiday House, Inc.
ISBN-13: 9780823419906

This is a public service announcement to all our fine, feathered friends. Thanksgiving is coming! And you know what that means . . .
RUN FOR YOUR LIVES!!!!

It's that time of year, once more, when tables across the land will be heaped high with dishes of mashed potatoes, pumpkin pie, green bean casseroles, stuffing, and you-know-what.

Let's face it. If you are a turkey, this time of year, your goose is cooked. Especially if you are a conceited, braggart of a turkey like Lance in the new picture book BEAUTY AND THE BEAKS by MJ and Herm Auch.

Lance hasn't quite figured out that he is THE guest of honor for the Thanksgiving feast. When Beauty, the flying hen who runs the Chic Hen beauty parlor, informs lance that he's going to be stuffed with chestnuts at the feast, he responds, "Chestnuts? Yum!" (It seems that Lance is one egg short of an omelette, if you know what we mean.)

With determination, a new wardrobe, a complete facial, and a heavy-duty pair of tweezers, Beauty and company help Lance discover his inner chicken and survive the season.

This is a very funny (and punny) book full of great characters and amazing illustrations. Using hand-crafted chicken mannequins created from felt wool, yarn, polymer clay, and talent, MJ & Herm create and photograph a cast of fun and funky chickens and one fabulously freaked-out turkey.

This cautionary tale is a great story for any turkey wondering, "Wattle I do?" when Thanksgiving rolls around. Oh, and it's great for kids and their grown-ups too!

Quick Chick Picks: Thanksgiving

Let's face it: Thanksgiving can be stressful for a chick. Not only must you dine WITH your fowl relations, but you must dine UPON one as well. And if that's not enough to unglue you, there's the dreaded "day after" when you can't help but gaze upon your tail feather region and contemplate the wicked 1:1 ratio of stuffing consumed to the stuffing now heaped in your trunk.

Here in the coop we have two coping mechanisms to deal with Turkey Trouble:

1. Skip town and head to Vegas; or
2. Laugh your way through it (nervous laughter is better than no laughter at all).

Herewith, some book recommendations to help you with that last part:

Turk and Runt: A Thanksgiving Comedy, by Lisa Wheeler, illustrated by Frank Ansley, Atheneum, ISBN 978-0689847615. Young Runt hatches a grade-A plan to save his feather-brained sibling from the carving knife.

The Ugly Pumpkin, by Dave Horowitz, Putnam, ISBN 0399242678. An ugly duckling story with a hilarious twist and a perfect Thanksgiving message.

I Know an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Pie, by Alison Jackson, illustrated by Judith Byron Schachner, Dutton, ISBN 978-0525456452. A cautionary tale for the overly ambitious eaters among us.

'Twas the Night Before Thanksgiving, by Dav Pilkey, Scholastic, ISBN 978-0531059050. Classic Dav Pilkey. Need we say more?

Run, Turkey, Run!, by Diane Mayr, illustrated by Laura Rader, Walker Books, ISBN 978-0802796301. A fun read-aloud with a happy, grilled-cheese sandwich ending sure to please vegetarians and turkey lovers alike!