Nerd alert! Since my son was born, I’ve made good use of the public library system for children’s literature. Seeing as I can’t depend on my memory for titles, and authors, I keep a list of preferred holiday works in Microsoft Excel. This way I can pre-order the selections on-line from the library, and I’m not buying a horde of books with fleeting holiday appeal. A Plump and Perky Turkey is one such item that went on the list several years ago, and it will most likely remain for another year, or so.

The townspeople of Squawk Valley are dismayed for they can’t find a turkey for their Thanksgiving feast. A plump and perky turkey is what they need, they all agreed, but turkeys flee the scene when leaves fall from the trees. I guess the townsfolk will have to make do with bowls of shredded wheat. Ebenezer Beezer proposes a plan to lure the fowl to Squawk Valley by holding an arts fair where live models are required. Pete’s hired for the job, and fulfills his duties well. Pete’s no dummy though. He knows the folks have further plans for him, so he outsmarts the entire town, and flees the coup.

The people in Squawk Valley were left feeling rather blue.
The only turkey left in town appeared too hard to chew.
“Oh well,” said Beezer brightly, as they gathered ‘round to eat.
“Right now, at least I’m thankful that we still have shredded wheat.”

A Plump and Perky Turkey has a pleasingly poetic rhythm. As you can see from the excerpt above, Teresa Bateman does a wonderful job working the meter. This book is a blast to read aloud, but a little tricky the first time around. “They make turkeys out of spuds, and out of clay and out of rope. They made turkeys out of oatmeal, and out of paper, out of soap.” That portion is my son’s favorite. It’s repeated three times in the story, but he laughs every time. I’m not sure if it’s the words that amuse him so, or the illustrations.

Jeff Shelly paints in watercolor and gouache so the images are bright and colorful, yet the technique is a bit flat for my taste. The pages are soaked in oranges, browns, and golden tones, thus, one certainly gets the idea that autumn is in the air. Shelly has a cartoonish style, in that the images are accentuated with thick, dark lines. His work reminds me of Dav Pilkey’s, [Twas the Night Before Thanksgiving, and Dragon’s Halloween], though, Shelly’s figures are angular, while Pilkey’s are round, and full. As a side note, it seems strange that the illustrations are in direct contrast to the writing style, especially with the word “plump” is in the title. The turkeys are properly rotund, it’s just that there’s a thinness, and an edge to these images. The font is even tall and thin, and it might be too small for some readers.

The redeeming quality is that the artwork is humorous; in addition, it is rich in details. For example, when the townsfolk realize there’s no turkey to be had, we see turkeys sneaking off in hot air balloons carrying suitcases. In another scene, a man’s reading the Squawk Valley Press, while a disgruntled man drives a horse-drawn carriage that has a sign that reads Fresh Shredded Wheat.

Despite my nitpicking, the 32-page A Plump and Perky Turkey is an entertaining read. It takes about three minutes to read aloud, although the tempo is so addictive one may choose to speed it up, or slow it down depending on the audience. The book doesn’t offer an age recommendation, but I’d say it’s geared to children 3 to 7-years. This story has been well loved in our house, and had I know that it’s available in paperback; I would have picked up a copy years ago.

ISBN: 1-890817-91-0
Winslow Press, 2001


This is another entry into msmovay's Resurrecting the Oldies Write-Off.

Another entry into mmcphee's Reading Write-Off.

At 648 words, it's also certified Lean 'n Mean




Additional Thanksgiving Delights:
10 Fat Turkeys
One Little, Two Little, Three Little Pilgrims
The First Thanksgiving Day: A Counting Story
Alligator Arrived with Apples: A Potluck Alphabet Feast




Recommended: Yes