Duck for Turkey Day

by Jacqueline Jules

Overview

A 2010 Notable Social Studies Trade Book for Young People
2012 Washington State Children's Book Award Nominee
2012-2013 Volunteer State (Tennessee) Book Award Master List

It's almost Thanksgiving, and Tuyet is excited about the holiday and the vacation from school. There's just one problem: her Vietnamese American family is having duck for Thanksgiving dinner - not turkey! Nobody has duck for Thanksgiving - what will her teacher and the other kids think? To her surprise, Tuyet enjoys her yummy thanksgiving dinner anyhow - and an even bigger surprise is waiting for her at school on Monday. Dinners from roast beef to lamb to enchiladas adorned the Thanksgiving tables of her classmates, but they all had something in common - family! Kids from families with different traditions will enjoy this warm story about "the right way" to celebrate an American holiday.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781791104764
Publisher:	Weigl Publishers Inc.
Publication date:	08/01/2018
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	32
File size:	17 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.
Age Range:	5 - 9 Years

About the Author

Jacqueline Jules is the author of fifty books, including Freddie Ramos Takes Off, a Cybils Award winner, and Never Say a Mean Word Again, a Sydney Taylor Honor Book. She lives on Long Island, New York. A former school librarian, she loves to interact with young readers and teachers.

When she's not illustrating, Kathryn Mitter enjoys gardening, hiking, and watercolor painting, especially painting outdoors. Kathryn has illustrated many magazine stories and children's books. Kathryn lives in Missouri.

Editorial Reviews

Before Thanksgiving, Tuyet's class makes turkeys out of pinecones and sings turkey songs. So she is dismayed to learn that her family will be eating duck for their holiday dinner. She breaks out her own money, but there is no turkey to buy at the Saigon Supermarket. Although Tuyet has fun on Thanksgiving, she is nervous about telling her class that she didn't eat turkey—until many classmates reveal that their families dined on dishes like lamb, enchiladas and tofu turkey. A lighthearted reminder about multicultural traditions during the holidays. Ages 6–8. (Sept.)

Publishers Weekly

Gr 1–3—In school, Tuyet constructs a pinecone turkey and learns about Thanksgiving. At home, the child is dismayed because her mother is serving a family recipe from Vietnam of duck with spicy sauce instead of a traditional dinner. She counts her money to see if she has enough to buy a turkey, and then learns that the Saigon Supermarket where they shop does not sell it. Tuyet sets her pinecone creation beside her plate, so there will be a turkey on the Thanksgiving table. She enjoys a wonderful dinner "with lots of good food and family fun" and even has seconds of the delicious duck. Her worries return when she has to admit to her class that she did not eat turkey for the holiday. To her surprise, her classmates chime in with the alternative dishes they had on their tables. This sweet tale is written in straightforward prose and provides a brief glimpse of another culture. Mitter's bright illustrations accented with cozy details draw readers into Tuyet's happy home and enhance the story's heartwarming message.—Linda L. Walkins, Mount Saint Joseph Academy, Brighton, MA

School Library Journal

In Tuyet's elementary-school classroom the days leading up to Thanksgiving-Turkey Day, as Mrs. Cook calls it-are full of turkeys: in songs, crafts and stories. So when her mother tells her they'll be having Ba Noi's special Vietnamese duck dish for their Thanksgiving meal, Tuyet is distressed. It's delicious, and she even has seconds, but what will the other kids think? Turns out her multicultural classmates ate noodles, lamb, roast beef, enchiladas and tofu as well as the customary gobbler. While this tale gets at the way differing culinary customs are applied by Americans of many backgrounds to the Thanksgiving dinner, it fails to acknowledge the mythology-good and bad-that surrounds the celebration, making it ultimately as flat as Mitter's crisp, pastel-hued, perspective-free illustrations. Does only half the job. (Picture book. 5-8)

Kirkus Reviews

"A lighthearted reminder about multicultural traditions during the holidays."—Publishers Weekly

"Mitter's acrylic illustrations, in clear bright colors and simple shapes, capture the warmth of the holiday bustle and the affection among family members."—Booklist

"This sweet tale is written in straightforward prose and provides a brief glimpse of another culture. Mitter's bright illustrations accented with cozy details draw readers into Tuyet’s happy home and enhance the story’s heartwarming message."—School Library Journal

"This is a perfect book for reading aloud and discussion in lower elementary classrooms. Bright, clear illustrations compliment the open-minded message."—Foreword

"Jules has created a story with a warm, gentle voice. Colorful, realistic, and eye-catching illustrations are perfect for a read-aloud.This is a non-traditional holiday book with a unique niche."—Library Media Connection

"Local author Jacqueline Jules pens a tale of tolerance and diversity that will resonate with young students and families no matter their heritage. Illustrator Kathryn Mitter lines a many-hued classroom that adheres not to the melting pot but to the woks, frying pans and vegan casserole dishes of contemporary America."—Children's Literature

A 2010 Notable Social Studies Trade Book for Young People
2012 Washington State Children's Book Award Nominee
2012-2013 Volunteer State (Tennessee) Book Award Master List

From the Publisher