Thanksgiving Turkey

Thanksgiving Turkey

From Publishers WeeklyA 13-year-old boy and his grandfather spend months hunting down a wild turkey in the early-morning darkness in this nostalgic and affecting story. But when they finally come face-to-face with their prey, the grandfather cannot bring himself to shoot it. Scheer and Himler (previously paired for By the Light of the Captured Moon) simultaneously develop the boy's relationship with his grandfather and with the woods. The story smoothly incorporates facts about turkeys' roosting habits, while the sketchy but realistic watercolors evoke the enchantment of the predawn hours. Ages 4-8.Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.A thirteen-year-old boy and his mother move to a farm in rural Virginia where he and his grandfather develop a growing bond while trying to hunt a wild tom turkey for their Thanksgiving dinner.From School Library JournalK-Gr 6-In this picture book, a 13-year-old and his mother move to his grandfather's farm in rural Virginia. Reluctant at first, the boy adapts to country life, finding there is much to learn from his granddad. Determined to track and shoot an old tom turkey that had been a worthy adversary for years, the grandfather takes the boy hunting. The seasons pass and they are never able to spot the bird, just hear him. One fateful day at Thanksgiving time, they corner the old turkey with his long beard, only to discover the joy in letting him fly free. After all, he had been in the woods as long as the old man and deserved their respect. Soft, watercolor illustrations and a story gently and respectfully told in the first person evoke memories of a time past (when a hard-earned dollar and eighty cents bought a fat turkey). It is a tale well told, reminiscent of sitting and listening to the old folks swap stories at a family gathering.Pamela K. Bomboy, Chesterfield County Public Schools, VACopyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.From BooklistAges 4-8. In a quiet, direct voice, an old man remembers himself at 13 when he and his mother came to live with Grandad on a small farm in rural Virginia. The boy bonds with Grandad and learns about the farm and the animals and how to hunt, especially for wild turkey, the smartest, trickiest thing in the woods. Through the spring and summer they go out before dawn, "alone in the silence of the morning." The family can barely afford to buy a bird when Thanksgiving comes, so Grandad tricks a huge old turkey into coming close enough to shoot. It's no real surprise when he lets it escape, but there's no overt message. The real story is in Scheer's casual lyrical words and Himler's beautifully detailed watercolor landscapes that show the wonder of nature. As in the works of Frost and Wordsworth, the excitement is in ordinary things and in the astonishing connections that come clear in a solitary place. Hazel RochmanCopyright