Thanksgiving Day Stories for Reading Aloud
RSSJoy Fleishhacker, Curriculum Connections -- School Library Journal, 11/03/2009
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Share these fresh and fun picture books with your students to welcome in the holiday.
Wendi Silvano’s feathered protagonist knows that he’s headed for Turkey Trouble (Marshall Cavendish, 2009; PreS-Gr 4), the “kind of trouble where it’s almost Thanksgiving…and you’re the main course.” Refusing to go willingly to the platter, the plucky poultry hatches a clever plan: he will hide his identity by camouflaging himself as a less-than-Thanksgiving-worthy animal. However, when one hilariously jury-rigged costume after another falls flat, the fretful fowl must come up with a final brainstorm (and his best disguise yet). Stuffed with clever wordplay, groanable puns, and easy-to-ham-it-up animal sounds, the chuckle-inducing narrative makes a crowd-pleasing read-aloud. Lee Harper’s engaging watercolor cartoons complement the text with opulent autumn hues and wry touches of humor. Turkey’s getups are exuberantly silly and the animals’ sardonic facial expressions are sublime. Use this book to inspire discussions or creative writing projects about Thanksgiving from the point of view of the designated main dish.
In Judy Cox’s One Is a Feast for Mouse (Holiday House, 2008; PreS-Gr 2), a bespectacled rodent ventures forth from his hidey-hole to explore the remains of a family’s Thanksgiving meal. Bravely scampering up the tablecloth, he sets his sights on one “teensy-tiny, toothsome, green pea,” but the critter’s eyes quickly grow bigger than his stomach, and he adds more tidbits—a cranberry, a carrot stick, the last piece of pumpkin pie, even the turkey platter—to his precariously piled stack of goodies. When Cat makes a surprise appearance, food and dinnerware fly everywhere. Mouse scurries back to the safety of his home, where he contentedly consumes the one pea he is able to salvage: “Give thanks! One is a feast for me!” The nimble narrative builds anticipation, keeping children breathless until the humorous climax. Jeffrey Ebbeler’s delightful paintings combine imaginative close-up details, varying visual perspectives, and cozy colors to convey the excitement and gratifying resolution of Mouse’s daring adventure.
As her classmates look forward to the holiday, Tuyet expresses concern that her family is planning to have Duck for Turkey Day (Albert Whitman, 2009; K-Gr 3) instead of a traditional Thanksgiving meal. Despite her worries, the girl enjoys spending the holiday with her relatives, and even has seconds of the delicious main course, prepared according her grandmother’s recipe from Vietnam. Back at school, Tuyet is hesitant to tell her classmates about her repast, but her anxieties are quickly alleviated when she discovers that other students also ate alternative entrées—lamb, enchiladas, and tofu turkey among others. As her teacher states, “It doesn’t matter what you eat on Thanksgiving, as long as you have a good time with family and friends.” Jacqueline Jules’s gently told text and Kathryn Mitter’s soothing earth-toned paintings tell a sweetly reassuring story. Use this upbeat book to introduce discussion of holiday-related family traditions and to celebrate cultural diversity. Have students bring in favorite family recipes and compile a classroom cookbook of Thanksgiving fare.
