Customer Reviews

Duck for Turkey Day

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This book is simply wonderful. The words and pictures are both beautiful and work so well together to create a memorable, well-told story. As a young girl, Tuyet, and her classmates prepare for Thanksgiving, she worries because her family's tradition is to eat duck, not turkey. She enjoys her Thanksgiving with her family, but when it is time to talk about Thanksgiving again in school the next week, she is ashamed to say that they had duck. Then she discovers that many students in her class also had other meals instead of turkey, like enchiladas, noodles and chicken, and roast beef. She then embraces her family's unique tradition and the true meaning of Thanksgiving - celebrating with one's family and being thankful. The story is a perfect length and is easy to follow, yet it is also thought-provoking. It is a delightful, multicultural story about different traditions in America. I highly recommend it.

If you have, like me, plowed through literally dozens of Thanksgiving picture books looking for something fresh and original, you'll know that Duck for Turkey Day is an absolute gem. The reader follows Tuyet's struggle to reconcile what she thinks are proper Thanksgiving customs with her Vietnamese background. What she finds is that everyone has a unique take on Thanksgiving, and there is no one "right" way to celebrate. Vibrant illustrations complete a very satisfying story.

A wonderful little story with kid-friendly illustrations makes this book a good read for your children. Tuyet is a little girl of Vietnamese descent who learns all about Thanksgiving Day in her classroom. The students make a turkey craft, sing songs about turkeys, and learn all about the Pilgrims and the Native Americans. Tuyet thinks that Thanksgiving Day is all about eating a turkey dinner.

Tuyet tells her mother they have to have a turkey for Thanksgiving dinner. Mom says no, they will be having a duck for dinner. Tuyet's grandmother arrives from New York. Tuyet explains to her grandmother that they are having duck instead of turkey. Grandma proudly tells Tuyet that they are using her recipe from Vietnam for duck and that their family likes duck better than turkey.

Tuyet is so upset about having duck instead of turkey that she goes to her room to count her money. She decides to buy a turkey at the market if she has enough money.

Does Tuyet have enough money to purchase the turkey? What kind of meal does Tuyet have for Thanksgiving dinner? What do you think she tells her classmates and teacher when she returns to school? You'll just have to read this darling story to find out what happens to Tuyet's Thanksgiving dinner and discover the true lesson she learns about Thanksgiving from her family, teacher, and classmates. This little gem of a book is a keeper. Your child will want to read it over and over!

Tuyet was putting the finishing touches on her Thanksgiving turkey. She had glued all the rainbow colored feathers on her pine cone turkey and had just finished adding the head. Tuyet was concentrating so hard her tongue was sticking out of the side of her mouth. The class was getting ready for the holiday and they "sang turkey songs," talked about Pilgrims . . . the whole thing was soooo exciting. All the boys and girls were ready for the long weekend and Mrs. Cook saw them off to the bus when the bell rang saying, "Have a great Turkey Day "

At home she gave her Mama the turkey she had made by tracing her hand. It was really beautiful and while Mama was admiring it, Tuyet told her that they needed to buy a turkey for Thanksgiving. It was very upsetting when she was told that they were going to be having a duck instead. When her grandmother, Ba Noi, stepped off the plane from Vietnam she learned that she was going to use her recipe for duck and was told that "Our family likes duck better." Tuyet had a bit of money to buy a turkey, but there wasn't a single one to be found at the Saigon Supermarket. The only turkey on the table would be her pine cone one. It really turned out to be a wonderful day, but what would happen when her classmates found out about the duck?

This was a lovely and heartwarming story about a traditional holiday with a perfect little twist that illustrates that we can all be thankful for what we have, even if we don't all celebrate in exactly the same way. The joyousness and celebration of family life in this book is very comforting and gives the reader that nice tingly feeling at the end when the tears turn to smiles. The illustrations are vibrant and colorful and bring out Tuyet's emotions perfectly. This is a perfect story to read aloud and discuss during circle time. What did YOU have for Thanksgiving dinner?

Duck for Turkey Day was the perfect Thanksgiving read for my first grader. Though my husband is Irish American, I am originally from Southeast Asia and not only did I not grow up celebrating Thanksgiving, I had never eaten turkey until I moved here to the United States as an adult. Every Thanksgiving, I cook turkey for my husband, but I also serve the traditional dishes I grew up with.

That's what makes Duck for Turkey Day a wonderful read. My first grader learned about the Vietnamese tradition of eating duck for family get-togethers. Initially, young Tuyet is upset when she learns that her mother and grandmother plan to cook duck for Thanksgiving. But it's Turkey Day, she thinks, so how can they not eat turkey? The idea of eating anything but turkey seems wrong to Tuyet and even though she settles down to eating duck on Thanksgiving with the rest of her family, she eventually breaks down during circle time at school when her classmates are sharing their Thanksgiving experiences. It is only when her other classmates share that they too eat different foods during Thanksgiving such as enchiladas, roast beef, tofu turkey, lamb, etc. that she realizes it is not about the food, but about giving thanks for having family and friends together at Thanksgiving. A wonderful book that should be in every library and school collection.

Duck for Turkey Day is the story of a young girl named Tuyet's Thanksgiving experience. In their class, Tuyet's teacher calls Thanksgiving "Turkey Day" leading her to believe that her family has forgotten about the turkey! Upon returning home and realizing that they would be eating duck instead of turkey, Tuyet was worried that they couldn't possibly celebrate the holiday without it. After seeing her family excited for the duck, and tasting her grandmother's special preparation, Tuyet began to feel better about the meal. Back at school the next week, her fear about "Turkey Day" was finally relieved when she found out she was not the only one who didn't eat turkey on turkey day and that the true unifying factor for Thanksgiving was spending time with friends and family. Duck for Turkey Day provides a young child's cultural understanding of the Thanksgiving holiday and the beauty of celebrating things differently.