When Wolf, Weasel, and Fox steal a turkey for their Christmas feast, no one expects the meal to have her own ideas about the celebration. Don’t they want to fatten her up first? Haven’t they even hung up mistletoe or baked gingerbread? But the more time the three friends spend with Turkey, the less anyone wants the fun to end…
Perfect for holiday story times, this festive book will provide plenty of laughs with its witty narration, amusing characters, and playful illustrations.
September 21, 2020
In this droll spin on the prey-outwitting-predator premise, Fox snatches Turkey to be a Christmas feast for him and his burrowmates, Wolf and Weasel. The bossy bird immediately takes charge, insisting that they fatten her up before eating her (“Good grief, everybody knows that! Was this their first Christmas? Was this their first feast?” Dargent writes). Ashamed, the three friends meekly follow Turkey’s orders, and the quartet gets on splendidly until Christmas Eve, when she unnerves her new friends by slyly asking how they intend to cook her. “I would like to be flambéed,” she announces before giving her panicked friends an out, suggesting that they fatten her up until next Christmas, when the feast will be “even better.” Le Huche’s snappy pictures capture the brood’s lopsided dynamics with panache, right up to a final image: of Turkey reading The Best Recipes for Stuffed Wolves, Foxes, and Weasels. Ages 4–8.
Starred review from September 1, 2020
This turkey is no turkey. When Fox absconds with a turkey for his Christmas feast with his wolf and weasel pals, he gets more than he bargained for. Although the turkey is alarmed when she's snatched away from the farm, she's more than pulled herself together by the next double-page spread. In this picture, Le Huche depicts her perched atop a chair in Fox's disorderly home, berating him for the mess. By the time Wolf and Weasel arrive, everything is tidied up, and Turkey sets her sights on bossing them around, too. Appalled that they'd even consider turning her into p�t� before fattening her up, Turkey sends the befuddled trio out to gather food. She then cooks up a delicious "frog and sprout stew" for dinner, further solidifying her unexpectedly empowered position in the household. By the time Christmas Eve rolls around, Turkey has fully incorporated herself into the group, and Wolf, Weasel, and Fox are dismayed when she asks them "how would they cook her?" True to the dry humor of this trickster tale, she continues, "'I would like to be flamb�ed." Needless to say, this does not come to pass, and Turkey instead cooks up a feast for the four of them. A sly twist offered in the cartoon art at the final page turn provides readers with a final treat to savor. Deliciously funny. (Picture book. 4-8)
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Starred review from August 1, 2020
Preschool-G *Starred Review* Wolf steals a turkey from a farm for Christmas dinner and returns to the burrow he shares with Weasel and Fox. But the bossy bird points out that she needs to be fattened up before the feast; Good Grief, everybody knows that! Abashed, the others trot off and return with frogs, sprouts, and mushrooms. Since they can't cook, Turkey whips up a delectable dinner, and afterwards, they all play cards together. She continues to cook their meals, while issuing orders about cleaning and decorating their home. On Christmas Eve, Turkey announces that she'd like to be flamb�ed for the feast. Can they handle that? No? Then she'll prepare their feast this time, and they can fatten her up for another year. Realizing that they couldn't bear to lose their new friend, they happily agree. First published in France, this amusing picture book features an engaging trickster who turns the tables on her hungry hosts by making herself indispensable. The lively text, which crackles with wit, establishes the turkey's persona early on and offers sly hints that she will prevail. Capturing the spirit and energy of the text, Le Huche's artwork features expressive line drawings and pleasing color washes. A clever picture book with a satisfying conclusion.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2020, American Library Association.)
July 1, 2020
Fox, Weasel, and Wolf decide to steal a turkey for their Christmas feast -- but things don't turn out as planned. Turkey scolds and bullies her "captors" into straightening up the burrow, wiping their paws before they enter, gathering materials for Christmas decorations, etc. Meanwhile, though the hapless trio claims they are waiting to fatten her up before they turn her into dinner, she's cooking delicious meals and making their house into a home -- which, it turns out, they enjoy. While decidedly not a new story, this one is notable for the liveliness of its telling and the humor (particularly in the body language of bossy Turkey and cowed trio) and child-pleasing detail in its illustrations.
(Copyright 2020 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)
November 1, 2020
Fox, Weasel, and Wolf decide to steal a turkey for their Christmas feast -- but things don't turn out as planned. Turkey scolds and bullies her "captors" into straightening up the burrow, wiping their paws before they enter, gathering materials for Christmas decorations, etc. Meanwhile, though the hapless trio claims they are waiting to fatten her up before they turn her into dinner, she's cooking delicious meals and making their house into a home -- which, it turns out, they enjoy. While decidedly not a new story, this one is notable for the liveliness of its telling and the humor (particularly in the body language of bossy Turkey and cowed trio) and child-pleasing detail in its illustrations. Martha V. Parravano
(Copyright 2020 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)