A Turkey for Thanksgiving

by Eve Bunting
Illustrated by Diane deGroat 

This is a book sure to instill the true meaning of Thanksgiving and friendship in all readers.  Mr. and Mrs. Moose are preparing for a Thanksgiving feast for their delightful group of friends when Mrs. Moose decides that, instead of her paper decoration, she would like a real turkey to complete the day.  Mr. Moose sets off to grant her wish and one by one is joined by all of the dinner guests. They find their bird and make a new friend when he learns he is to be a guest and not a dish at the Thanksgiving gathering!

Diane de Graot’s watercolor illustrations perfectly convey the sentiment of the heartwarming book: you can practically feel the warmth in the home of Mr. and Mrs. Moose and the chill in the November air as Mr. Moose and friends set out on their search. The small details in the illustrations are a great addition to the story. can your young reader discover what happened to Sheep’s hat? 

In this Issue

• Tie Dye Turkeys
• Turkey Puzzle Snack

 

Tie Dye Turkeys

Tie Dye Turkeys

Supplies

• Coffee filter
• Markers
• Spray bottle filled with water OR paintbrush and small dish of water
• Newspaper for covering workspace
• Pencil
• Construction paper – brown, yellow, red
• Glue
• Marker or crayon

1. Lay the coffee filter out flat on a washable surface or a large sheet of paper. Let your reader go to town coloring the filter with markers, using several colors. The colored filter will be the tail of the turkey. 
   
2. Once the coloring is complete put those little fingers to work with the spray bottle spraying the filter. It should be damp enough to allow the colors to run together, but not soaked. Place the filter on a sheet of newspaper to dry overnight.
   
3. To make the turkey’s body and head help your reader trace two different size circles on brown construction paper. We traced a peanut butter jar and a round tea tin for our circles. If your reader needs help, try holding the containers steady while the little fingers do the tracing.
4. Cut out the traced circles, and glue the body and head on the coffee filter tail.
5. To help young hands make a triangular beak simply supply a small square of yellow construction paper and show how to cut off one corner.
   
6. Legs come from yellow construction paper as well and the wattle is a squiggle cut from red construction paper. Have your reader glue these pieces on, then add eyes with a marker or crayon, and you have a turkey for Thanksgiving!
   

 

Turkey Puzzle Snack

Turkey Puzzle Snack

Ingredients

• Wheat bread
• Apple
• Carrot sticks
• Red grape
• Biscuit cutter or round cookie cutter
• Drinking straw

1. Cut a circle from whole wheat bread.
2. Lay carrot sticks around the top of the bread circle to form a tail.
3. Slice the bottom off a red grape to make a head.
4. Use a straw to make two small circles from an apple slice. Attach these to the grape. The juice from the apple will make them stick.
5. Two strips of apple or two carrot sticks can be used for legs.
6. A wattle can be cut from a small piece of apple and a small triangle of carrot makes a great beak.

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Comments

[Rebecca]

Looks like a lovely book. Thanks for linking to the Sunday showcase.