Turkey Goes to School

by Wendi Silvano, Lee Harper (Illustrator)

Overview

Turkey is off to school—or is he?—in this addition to the much-loved Turkey Trouble series.

School is starting soon and Turkey can’t wait. Each day, he and his barnyard friends practice their writing and math. But when the school bus rolls up, they are booted off. It turns out that animals aren’t allowed to attend school. Pig calls it “hogwash,” and Turkey agrees. All he has to do is find a way to show the students and the principal that turkeys—and their friends—do belong in school. With a gobble, gobble here; a gobble, gobble there; and a few clever costumes, he just might.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781542023641
Publisher:	Two Lions
Publication date:	08/01/2021
Series:	Turkey Trouble Series , #5
Pages:	40
Sales rank:	219,823
Product dimensions:	10.79(w) x 10.55(h) x 0.55(d)
Age Range:	4 - 7 Years

About the Author

Wendi Silvano was born in Salt Lake City, Utah, and has lived in Oregon, Colorado, and Peru. The author of the Turkey Trouble series, she has a BA in early childhood education and taught preschool and elementary school for eleven years. She is the mother of five children and the owner of an assortment of odd pets that are not nearly as clever as Turkey. She now writes from her home in Colorado, where she enjoys hiking, reading, and playing the piano. Visit her online at www.wendisilvano.com.

Lee Harper is the author-illustrator of the books Coyote, The Emperor’s Cool Clothes, and Snow! Snow! Snow! Lee is also the illustrator of the Turkey Trouble series by Wendi Silvano as well as the Woolbur series, written by Leslie Helakoski. Lee has four children, a German shepherd, a Great Pyrenees, two barn cats, eleven chickens, four sheep, and two pigs…but still no turkeys. Yet. He lives with his wife in Bucks County, Pennsylvania. Visit him online at www.leeharperart.com.

Editorial Reviews

The watercolor-and-pencil illustrations feature quirky characters with wide eyes and expressive features and a relatively diverse class of children. A cute twist on both the farm and school themes.” —Kirkus Reviews

From the Publisher

08/01/2021

PreS-Gr 2—The fifth installment of "Turkey Trouble" finds Farmer Jake's animals practicing their school skills in the barnyard—writing, counting, and reading. Their plan is to attend the first day of school with Max and Millie, the kids on the farm. "Farm Days" is the school's first weekly learning theme and they are certain they will be welcome visitors. But it isn't that easy. They get kicked off the bus. They hitch a ride to school where they are refused entry. Turkey is variously disguised as a backpack, book, soccer ball, and a lunch lady, in an attempt for acceptance, all to no avail. When Turkey dresses as Farmer Jake, the farm animals are finally allowed to stay for their first—and last—day of school. Rendered in cartoony watercolors, the story suffers from awkward puns. The theme of exclusion and nonacceptance is frankly unsettling and unfunny. Some school children and the principal have darker skin tones, but the white characters are the protagonists and have most of the speaking parts. VERDICT This iteration of the series doesn't live up to the charm of the first amusing title, and has a confusing message of rejection and ostracism.—Rita Christensen, Orem P.L., UT

School Library Journal

2021-05-19
Turkey is excited and ready for the first day of school—but will they let the farm animals in?

The farm children, Max and Millie, both White, are “superexcited” for the first day of school. The farm animals have heard all about it, and they are excited too—especially Turkey, who drills the other animals on their school skills as the big day approaches. But when the school bus arrives, the animals are told to stay at the farm. They hitch a ride in a pickup and spend the whole day devising different plans to get inside the school building. Turkey tries disguising himself as a backpack, a book, a cafeteria worker, and even a soccer ball, but he is always discovered and sent out. Finally, the animals learn how to use the first-week-of-school theme, “Farm Days,” to their advantage. The text is full of silly puns and animal sounds that liven up the reading. The animals’ outsider perspective on the classroom full of children having an exciting day of learning and fun is an entertaining thought experiment for young children, though animal lovers may balk at the exclusion of the hopeful barn dwellers. The watercolor-and-pencil illustrations feature quirky characters with wide eyes and expressive features and a relatively diverse class of children. (This book was reviewed digitally.)

A cute twist on both the farm and school themes. (Picture book. 3-8)

Kirkus Reviews