Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #203443 in Books
• Published on: 1990-09-01
• Original language: English
• Binding: Hardcover
• 32 pages

From Publishers Weekly
Patterned as a parody of the celebrated Clement Moore poem, this story of eight baby turkeys unfolds with joyous abandon and crackling vitality, as eight children embark on a Thanksgiving field trip that will change their lives forever. They are breathless as they catch sight of Farmer Mack Nuggett for the first time: "He was dressed all in denim, / From his head to his toe, / With a pinch of polyester / And a dash of Velcro." The exuberant turkeys--Ollie, Stanley, Larry, Moe, Wally, Beaver and Groucho--catch the children up in raucous barnyard antics until the merriment is quelled by the sight of the ax. Deeply touched by the turkeys' plight, the children--who have grown mysteriously fatter and have feathers sticking out from under their clothes--board the bus to go back to the city. The next night, family silhouettes can be seen--each with a grateful turkey guest--as "They feasted on veggies / With jelly and toast." This humorous, lighthearted story is adorned with bold, bright illustrations that convey a sense of wacky high-spiritedness sometimes lacking in traditional holiday fare. Ages 4-7.
Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal
Pilkey has adapted Clement Moore's classic poem for another holiday. The day before Thanksgiving finds eight boys and girls of various races taking a field trip to a turkey farm. Although Farmer Mack Nuggett seems kind at first, the children eventually discover his horrible plan to kill the turkeys for Thanksgiving dinners. Smuggling the turkeys home with them, the children save the birds, who join eight families for vegetarian dinners. The weakest part of this slapstick offering is the verse, in part because the story isn't at all parallel to Moore's and in part because of the stretches in rhyme to accommodate a pre-existing pattern. Some of the word play will escape children. Similarly, visual humor such as the placement of Farmer Nuggett and the teacher in an "American Gothic" pose will remain unappreciated by those too young for Grant Wood. The cartoon illustrations reinforce the story's general silliness but are unremarkable in themselves. Those seeking Thanksgiving humor will better served by Marc Brown's Arthur's Thanksgiving (Little, 1983), while those looking for a human-turkey relationship should dust off Lorna Balian's Sometimes It's Turkey, Sometimes It's Feathers (Abingdon, 1986). --Kathy Piehl, Mankato State University, MN
Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Ingram
"Pilkey takes that holiday staple and recasts it as a Thanksgiving tale about a bus load of school children who feel sorry for a friendly batch of turkeys and save them from the farmer's ax . . . The robust, cartoon-style art has van Goghesque sky vistas popping up from time to time and a manic energy that spills off the page."--Booklist. Full-color illustrations.

Customer Reviews

Twas the Night Before Thanksgiving
This is a wonderful and light-hearted story. I read it to my preschool class every year and they love it. Of course, we discuss that stealing isn't right but kids are much smarter than we give them credit and they realize it's a fun story. The rhyming and illustrations are wonderful. I highly recommend it for a fun light read.

Yeah! A thanksgiving book that doesn't involve killing
A holiday that has become focused on the full body and skeleton of a butchered bird is actually quite gruesome when one begins to look at it from the outside, especially as a vegetarian. It's nice to have a book that gives kids an alternative, shows them being proactive, independent problem solvers and guided by empathy and love. An environmentally friendly, great book for all and a very welcome one for vegetarian/vegan families.

Clever and Sweet
My kids and I love this book. Written in the style of 'Twas the Night before Christmas...a group of school children are taken on a field trip. "When what with their wondering eyes should they see, but a miniature farm and eight tiny turkey."

A very sweet, non-violent story!