Full Text Review(s)

"Hold onto your drumsticks, Turkey is in trouble. It’s almost Thanksgiving and how can he avoid ending up on the dinner platter? He has an idea: he disguises himself as a horse, a cow, a pig, and a sheep, but none of them fool even the animals. Finally he tries being a rooster, but when Farmer Jake can’t find Turkey, his wife says they could always eat rooster. Yikes! Turkey’s final brainstorm is one last disguise—as a pizza delivery guy, and indeed his hide is saved by the tasty tomatoes, mushrooms, peppers, and onions growing on the farm. Turkey’s costumes are ridiculously funny; for example, wearing a bucket on his beak with two slits for a pig snout and a scrub brush strapped to the back of his head for a horse’s mane. Watercolor illustrations play up the bug-eyed animals with lots of in-your-face close-ups. Kids will eat this up this clever and comical tale—and very likely request pizza for Thanksgiving dinner, too."

"Turkey is in trouble—it’s close to Thanksgiving and Farmer Jake is looking for him. But he has a plan: ‘What if he didn’t look like a turkey? What if he looked like a horse?’ And wearing a saddle and with a horse brush tied to the back of his head, he looks ‘just like a horse... almost.’ His subsequent farm animal disguises (as a cow, pig and sheep, among others) are equally ineffective, and Silvano goes with a goofy gag for Turkey’s final, successful costume: a pizza delivery man. With an autumnal palette of bright watercolors, Harper creates an exaggerated and emotive barnyard cast."

"As Thanksgiving approaches, Turkey fears that he will be the centerpiece of the holiday meal. Thus begins his quest for the perfect disguise so he won't be found when the time arrives. He ties a brush on the back of his head and wears a tiny saddle because surely no one would eat a horse for dinner. But the animals still recognize him. He tries to become a cow, a pig, a sheep, and a rooster. He does not look like any of them. When he hears Farmer Jake tell his wife that if they can't find the turkey, maybe they should eat the rooster for dinner, the protagonist comes up with the perfect ruse. This book is as silly as Denys Cazet's offerings about Minnie and Moo (HarperCollins) and just as funny. Harper's comical watercolor illustrations pair naturally with Silvano's clever, filled-with-wordplay text. A first choice for holiday collections."

"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."

Curriculum Connections ( a supplement to School Library Journal), November 3, 2009

"As the main meal approaches, nervous Turkey experiments with a series of costumes—a plan to disguise himself—in an attempt to avoid becoming Thanksgiving dinner. Trying first to look like Horse, then Cow, and after that, Pig, Sheep, and even Rooster, Turkey is discovered every time by a different animal, who uses an identifying pun, as an exclamation to discourage Turkey’s getup.

The double page spreads show various aspects of the farm and its expressive faced animals. And the humorous watercolor paintings demonstrate Turkey’s folly in his struggles to save himself, by trying to become something he is not. When it seems all is lost, and despite his best efforts, Turkey, or failing that, perhaps Rooster, will end up for dinner on Thanksgiving day at the farmer’s table, a surprising idea from the garden forms as a solution to Turkey’s dilemma.

Author, and early childhood teacher, Wendi Silvano has cooked up a prankish tale, linked with comedic skill by artist Lee Harper’s ridiculously laughable illustrations. It’s a playful fit for the weeks between Halloween costumes and the holiday of harvest."