A side dish at best
Ten turkeys invited to a Thursday luncheon decide, one by one, that attending might not be such a great idea.
The anthropomorphic turkeys are initially thrilled at Mr. and Mrs. Byrd’s invitation and accept enthusiastically. But reservations arise early on: “TEN hungry turkeys were on their way to lunch / when one turkey said, ‘Uh oh, I have a hunch. / I know we thought this would be fun, / but something just feels wrong. / Please don’t be mad, / ’cause I feel bad. / I just can’t come along.’ ” When they bump into two families—three stereotypical American Indians bearing a platter of corn and three stereotypical Pilgrims bearing a roast fowl—another turkey drops out. And so it goes, Balsley’s rhyme never faltering (though it may need some rehearsal at first), as turkey after turkey expresses ever more explicit qualms about the Byrds’ menu and decides not to attend. Finally just one turkey’s left to happily accept yams from Mrs. Byrd, who is revealed to be yet another anthropomorphic turkey. Richard dresses her turkeys in outfits that range from a biker vest to a pink cardigan; although they are nominally individuated, it’s hard to tell from the compositions which turkey is speaking until the page is turned and readers must figure out which one is missing.
A side dish at best . (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: Oct. 1, 2018
ISBN: 978-1-4556-2235-1
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Pelican
Review Posted Online: July 15, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2018
Hee haw.
The print version of a knee-slapping cumulative ditty.
In the song, Smith meets a donkey on the road. It is three-legged, and so a “wonky donkey” that, on further examination, has but one eye and so is a “winky wonky donkey” with a taste for country music and therefore a “honky-tonky winky wonky donkey,” and so on to a final characterization as a “spunky hanky-panky cranky stinky-dinky lanky honky-tonky winky wonky donkey.” A free musical recording (of this version, anyway—the author’s website hints at an adults-only version of the song) is available from the publisher and elsewhere online. Even though the book has no included soundtrack, the sly, high-spirited, eye patch–sporting donkey that grins, winks, farts, and clumps its way through the song on a prosthetic metal hoof in Cowley’s informal watercolors supplies comical visual flourishes for the silly wordplay. Look for ready guffaws from young audiences, whether read or sung, though those attuned to disability stereotypes may find themselves wincing instead or as well.
Hee haw. (Picture book. 5-7)Pub Date: May 1, 2010
ISBN: 978-0-545-26124-1
Page Count: 26
Publisher: Scholastic
Review Posted Online: Dec. 28, 2018
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A stocking stuffer par excellence, just right for dishing up with milk and cookies.
Pigeon finds something better to drive than some old bus.
This time it’s Santa delivering the fateful titular words, and with a “Ho. Ho. Whoa!” the badgering begins: “C’mon! Where’s your holiday spirit? It would be a Christmas MIRACLE! Don’t you want to be part of a Christmas miracle…?” Pigeon is determined: “I can do Santa stuff!” Like wrapping gifts (though the accompanying illustration shows a rather untidy present), delivering them (the image of Pigeon attempting to get an oversize sack down a chimney will have little ones giggling), and eating plenty of cookies. Alas, as Willems’ legion of young fans will gleefully predict, not even Pigeon’s by-now well-honed persuasive powers (“I CAN BE JOLLY!”) will budge the sleigh’s large and stinky reindeer guardian. “BAH. Also humbug.” In the typically minimalist art, the frustrated feathered one sports a floppily expressive green and red elf hat for this seasonal addition to the series—but then discards it at the end for, uh oh, a pair of bunny ears. What could Pigeon have in mind now? “Egg delivery, anyone?”
A stocking stuffer par excellence, just right for dishing up with milk and cookies. (Picture book. 4-6)Pub Date: Sept. 5, 2023
ISBN: 9781454952770
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Union Square Kids
Review Posted Online: Sept. 12, 2023
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