Book: A Turkey for Thanksgiving by Eve Bunting, Illustrated by Diane de Groat

Although it may be a bit late for the traditional Thanksgiving, I could not let November end without a nod to a seasonal children’s book. This is a fun little story from Eve Bunting, which sees several animals preparing for a Thanksgiving feast, hosted by Mr. and Mrs. Moose. Although Mrs. Moose has hosted many parties, she has never had one very traditional thing: a turkey for Thanksgiving. It is something she has always wanted, and Mr. Moose sets out to make it happen. Along his way to find a turkey, Mr. Moose encounters several of their planned dinner guests, some of whom join him in his search: Rabbit, Goat, Sheep, and Porcupine (notice a trend?). Turkey, of course, is not thrilled with the idea of anyone having him for Thanksgiving, and tries to escape the group coming to fetch him. Alas, Turkey cannot fly away, and is pushed along to join the Thanksgiving dinner. Of course, the fun twist at the end, being that this group of herbivores is looking to have a turkey AT their table, rather than ON their table.

I have heard this used as a read aloud leading up to the holiday, and the groups I have seen tend to enjoy the story. It can be a good story to talk about predictions and make kids thing about what could happen next, or using the pictures to as clues to the story. For students who are a bit older, the play on words is fun and could spark some good conversation and creative thinking.