Turkey Day Resister: Thanksgiving for Emily Ann by Teresa Johnston

EMILY ANN HATED TO SAY
SHE WAS NOT THANKFUL FOR THANKSGIVING DAY!

Most grownups like Thanksgiving. For some it's their favorite holiday. It's a day off from work; there are no gifts to select and wrap; the decorations are mostly edible; and it's a day when it's considered polite to overeat. What's not to like?

But for little kids, it may not be so enticing.

Emily Ann is one of those. Her grandpa gets to snore in her comfy bed, while she gets a sleeping bag on the floor. Her mom's attention is focused on preparing food, and the house is too full of loud, gabbing people who aren't usually there. To Emily Ann, it all feels like an invasion.

SO EMILY ANN, FEELING QUITE ALONE AND SAD,
CHOOSES NOT BE THANKFUL
AND INSTEAD TO BE BAD.

But with all the hubbub it's hard to find something noticeably bad to do.

So Emily Ann decides to GO BIG. On the kitchen table crowded with everyone's special dishes, she see something really BIG.

SHE DUCKED BY THE TABLE TO PLAY A FUNNY TRICK.
SHE REACHED FOR THE TURKEY, TO HIDE IT REALLY QUICK!

But Mom is not as oblivious to her daughter's dilemma as Emily Ann thinks. Instantly spotting a turkey-napping in progress, Mom slyly co-opts the little prankster.

"HI, EMILY ANN. WHAT A BIG HELPER! YOU'RE SO GREAT!"

Emily has no choice but to lug the turkey dutifully into the dining room to put it on the table, and when she gets there, she notices that her mom has set the table with the Thanksgiving placemats she made in school, "the best in her grade." Suddenly, she sees Thanksgiving in a different light. She looks at all the food everyone has contributed, all her relatives smiling at her contribution and getting ready to sit down together.

BY THE TIME SHE SAT DOWN ON THANKSGIVING DAY,
"I'M THANKFUL FOR MY FAMILY" WAS ALL SHE COULD SAY.

Teresa Johnston's Thanksgiving for Emily Ann (CarolRhoda Books, 2014), may slip in a too-easy transformation for this little conscientious objector, but it does offer a bit of a contrarian child's-eye view of Thanksgiving gatherings. It can be intimidating for youngsters to have a crowd of noisy adults, rowdy cousins, or strange guests taking over their space, and at least here Emily Ann gets to make her statement and her mother gets to model the ideal of making even the youngest feel part of the big day. Vanessa Brentley-Newton adds reassuringly humorous cartoon illustrations of various family types to add to the holiday atmosphere. For another salty look at Turkey Day, pair this one with Mark Fearing's brand-new The Great Thanksgiving Escape (Candlewick Press, 2014).

Turkey Call: Olivia Talks Turkey by Farrah O'Doogle

Olivia wants a turkey. No, not for Thanksgiving dinner.

She wants a turkey for a friend.

But how does she find a friendly turkey?

Olivia turns to her trusty teacher, Mrs. Hoggenmuller, who seems to know everything. And Mrs. H. happens to be an expert in talking turkey:

"OOO-LOO-LOO-LOO!" CALLED MRS. HOGGENMULLER, AS SHE STEPPED IN FRONT OF THE BLACKBOARD.

"OOO-LOO-LOO-LOO!

TODAY IS TURKEY DAY AND I AM CELEBRATING TALKING TURKEY."

Mrs. Hoggenmuller indeed summons a turkey to the classroom and reminisces about her childhood success in calling a turkey to be her pet. "Unfortunately, my parents were goldfish people," she concludes her story sadly.

Ooo-la-la! Olivia is inspired and can't wait to start trying her turkey calls, too!

"YOU'LL JUST HAVE TO PRACTICE!" SAYS MRS. HOGGENMULLER.

Olivia has a fast learning curve, and when she gets outdoors, her own "Ooo-loo-loos" produce a turkey right out of the bushes. Her little brother Ian is delighted and her dog Perry is beside himself. Mother and Father? Not so much. The turkey is cute, but inside their house, he's a mess!

Olivia is sad, but she understands that there's no real room for a turkey in her house, and she wonders what to do with this turkey who very much needs a friend to take him in.

And then Olivia has a brainstorm. Who else does she know who can talk to turkeys and has always wanted a turkey for a pet?

OLIVIA Talks Turkey, (Simon, 2011) the latest spinoff from Ian Falconer's hit Nick Jr. network children's program, with text by Farrah McDoogle and faithful illustrations by Jered Osterhold, is a happy addition to the November storytimes that honors the national bird but stays well away from the delicate turkey-on-the-table theme. Easy to read and inexpensive, this series of paperback adventures of the ever-perky pig makes fine reading for the primary fan of Falconer's Olivia.

Thankful: Thank You for Thanksgiving by Dandi Daley Mackall

Pumpkin pie is in the air.
Sneak a taste? I wouldn't dare!
Set out fancy silverware!
Hurray. Today's Thanksgiving!

Make name cards--I know how.
I can smell the turkey--Wow!
Shouldn't Grampa be here by now?
Now that it's Thanksgiving?

Leaving Pilgrims and Indians behind for the moment, Dandi Daley Mackall's new-for-the-season Thank You for Thanksgiving turns attention to a child's-eye-view of the day in its role as a special day for the extended family. A young boy savors the sensory experiences of the holiday--cooking aromas wafting through the air while he anticipates the arrival of his whole family.

In the kitchen Mom is singing.
Here they come! Doorbell's ringing!
How much food is Grandma bringing?
Welcome to Thanksgiving.

Cousin Roger's at the door,
Looking taller than before.
Cousin Emma, many more.
Greetings on Thanksgiving.

As the big family crowds around the table, each one, beginning with Gramps, reveals what he or she is most thankful for on that day, and the young narrator begins to worry that there will be nothing left for him to say. His worry increases as each speaker in turn preempts his own thoughts. But inspiration doesn't fail the youngster when his turn comes, as he echoes the simple message of the first Thanksgiving celebration.

Mackall's charming verse pictures the homey excitement of this family-centered holiday, and John Walker's illustrations, with their expressive, Norman-Rockwellesque faces, are as warm and inviting as the smell of roasting turkey in the air. A thoughtful book for sharing at this holiday time.

For slightly younger children, see also Margaret Sutherland's Thanksgiving Is for Giving Thanks, which also focuses feelingly on what each member of the family has to be thankful for.