Turkey Time: Gobble, Gobble, Tucker! Leslie McGuirk

TUCKER IS NAPPING ONE FALL DAY WHEN HE CATCHES A WHIFF OF SOMETHING DELICIOUS.

Instantly, Tucker knows that there is turkey in the oven.

And that means that this must be Thanksgiving Day!

From that moment little mutt's tummy is tuned to turkey! He heads for the kitchen, where all the action is, and hangs around, hoping one of the cooks drops a delicious morsel on the floor, where he'll be glad to help clean up.

Tucker is right there as a girl sets the dining room table and fashions a cornucopia centerpiece. When the doorbell signals an arriving guest, Tucker dashes to the door to roll over and hint that he'd like a belly rub.

Then the turkey comes to the table and Tucker and the other pets take their seats underneath, hoping to harvest a handout. The wait is so long! The guests talk and eat and laugh, but no turkey is handed down.

But after the dogs have dutifully waited, it's time to clear the table, and then--it's leftover time, and a big plate of doggy goodies materialize before their eyes. Time to tuck in, Tucker!

WHAT A PERFECT DAY!

TUCKER IS ALREADY DREAMING OF NEXT YEAR!

Leslie McGuirk's brand new Gobble, Gobble, Tucker! (Candlewick Press, 2014), offers a homey holiday story from the canine point-of-view, as Tucker pitches in and tries to be patient, not easy since a dog's nose is so sensitive to that delicious turkey aroma. McGuirks's quaint and old-fashioned comic illustrations and sweetly-portrayed Thanksgiving traditions makes this book a fine family read for turkey time.

Other holiday stories starring Tucker are Tucker's Spooky Halloween, Ho, Ho, Ho, Tucker!, and Tucker's Valentine.

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.

Gobble? Over the River: A Turkey's Tale by Derek Anderson

OVER THE RIVER AND THROUGH THE WOODS

TO GRANDMOTHER'S HOUSE WE GO!

But these prospective holiday feasters are no nineteen-century visitors looking forward to this year's version of Grandma's roasted turkey recipe. These trippers are turkeys themselves--Ma, Pa, and Baby Turkey, and the horse? Well, he "knows the way to carry the sleigh," all right, as he picks up his sled and "carries" it through the snow.

No further hints are needed to let the reader know that this is no ordinary run-through of Child's classic Thanksgiving lyrics. While trudging along o'er the snow, the turkey three meet up with the aforesaid horse and with a boy and his large, semi-scary-looking dog, who seem to be intent on making them his Thanksgiving dinner, and the chase is on!

In Derek Anderson's Over the River: A Turkey's Tale (Simon & Schuster) the fun is all in the contrast between the familiar staid lyrics of an old-fashioned visit to grandmother's, as portrayed by Anderson's Pilgrim-clad and portly turkeys, the little one looking not unlike the young Woody Allen, bespectacled and clutching his Pilgrim rag doll, fleeing through the woods in a melee of feathers and turkey feet from their supposed pursuers.

At the end, of course, theirs is a happy ending, with a fine vegetarian holiday feast for all, even the horse--"FOR THIS IS THANKSGIVING DAY!" It's a comic cartoon version with the best possible outcome for the turkeys, of course, and a few giggles for the reader as the hors d'oeuvre.

Serve this one as the appetizer for the real main course, perhaps Eve Bunting's savory A Turkey for Thanksgiving, Teresa Bateman's tasty A Plump and Perky Turkey, and Dav Pilkey's piquant and classic parody Twas The Night Before Thanksgiving (Bookshelf) for a full-fledged fillup of Turkey Day belly-laughs.

Tallying Turkeys: 10 Fat Turkeys by Tony Johnston

Gobble, Gobble, Wibble, Wobble,
Do a noodle dance.
10 fat turkeys
Fooling on a fence.

"Lookie!" said a silly turkey,
Swinging on a vine.
Gobble, Gobble, Wibble, Wobble,
"Whoops!" Now there are ... 9!

While their parents are busy counting heads for their turkey-day dinner, preschoolers can be gleefully counting their own plump poultry in another of veteran author Tony Johnston's feast-day favorites, 10 Fat Turkeys.

Not just a counting book, this book is also an elementary subtraction exercise, as one by one the feathery flock do various dismounts from their fence and the turkey count drops:

"Lookie!" squawks a goofy turkey,
Trying to roller-skate.
Gobble, Gobble, Wibble, Wobble,
Oops! Now there are... 8!

There's soon plenty of room up on that fence as turkeys alternately dive, fall off, and even flop away after swallowing an errant bee, until...

Lookie!" yells a plump turkey,
Jumping up and down.
Gobble, Gobble, Wibble, Wobble.
That's all there are! ...NONE!

Rich Deas' bright autumnal palette decks out his terrific Toms in shades of amber and orange and provides them with their own distinctive chapeaus, from baseball caps to Stetsons to aviator helmets and goggles. With their goofy, googly eyes and expressive beaks, we just know these poultry pals won't be falling for anyone's Thanksgiving dinner invitation. And, despite its tempting board book and paperback/CD versions, if 10 Fat Turkeys totals too many turkeys, there's always its toddler cousin, Salina Yoon's equally bouncy and best-selling Five Silly Turkeys, which can, um, be counted on to fill the bill as well!