Gracias The Thanksgiving Turkey [Paperback]

Joy Cowley (Author), Joe Cepeda (Illustrator)

Book Description

Age Level: 4 and up

In this warm holiday story, a young Puerto Rican boy saves the life of his pet turkey with help from his close-knit New York City family and neighborhood. Beginning Spanish vocabulary is woven into the text. Four color.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Miguel has two worries about Thanksgiving: Will his Papa, a trucker, make it home in time? And will his pet turkey become the entree? This crackling tale is set in New York City, where Gracias, the turkey, takes walks on a leash, is stolen, recovered and, when blessed by a priest, is thankfully deemed unroastable. Cepeda (The Cat's Meow) captures the story's sunny disposition with gaily composed, Latin-flavored oil paintings. Ages 4-8.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From School Library Journal

Kindergarten-Grade 2-Miguel, a Puerto Rican boy in New York City, receives a surprise package from his absentee truck-driving father-a gigantic wooden crate with the message: "Fatten this turkey for Thanksgiving. I'll be home to share it with you. Love from Papa." What ensues is a humorous story of Miguel's increasing attachment to the bird he nicknames Gracias. His new amiga follows him everywhere, even to Mass. Will Miguel be able to save Gracias from being seasoned and cooked? Can Papa make it home in time for the holidays? This picture book, illustrated with colorful oil paintings, offers a heartwarming narrative that captures the boy's close-knit sense of community and family.
Selene S. Vasquez, New York Public Library
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 4 and up
  
• Paperback: 32 pages
• Publisher: Scholastic en Espanol (October 1, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0590469770
• ISBN-13: 978-0590469777
• Product Dimensions: 10.8 x 8.5 x 0.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.5 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,932,504 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

22 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars N.Y. Hispanic family has turkey for dinner!, November 20, 1999

By 

Patricia Reilly Hague (Tucson, AZ) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Gracias, the Thanksgiving Turkey (Hardcover)

I use this book with at-risk 2nd and 3rd grade readers. It is wonderfully multicultural, and involves a multigenerational,Hispanic family living in New York city at Thanksgiving time. Miguel's father is a long-haul trucker who sends him a live turkey to raise for Thanksgiving dinner. Papa will be home to share it with the family. The predictable happens: boy and turkey fall in love. Miguel tries to reach his father in time to spare Gracias' life. At this point, I have my students write a letter, too, as if it were their pet they wanted to keep. The suspense builds until Gracias follows Miguel to church, and gets blessed by the priest! The grandparents are wonderfully supportive, and Tia Rosa is predictably pessimistic. Gracias comes to Thanksgiving dinner, but not in the way expected. My students make written predictions about how Papa will react, and what will happen next. This book is written by Joy Cowley,who writes many of the books we use in the Reading Recovery Program for at-risk readers in the United States. I really love it as it inspires poor writers to write, and gets everyone involved in the enfolding drama.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Multicultural Thanksgiving story, February 23, 2004

By 

Erika Mitchell (E. Calais, VT USA) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Gracias, the Thanksgiving Turkey (Hardcover)

The narrator's dad is a long-haul truck driver who sends a live baby turkey to his son, who lives in New York City with his grandparents. Along with the turkey, he sends instructions to fatten him up for Thanksgiving Day. But by the time dad returns for Thanksgiving, the bird has become a pet, not a meal. The story is quite fun, with just a little tension, but no scary bits. There is a sprinkling of Spanish words throughout the text, and a bilingual glossary at the end of the book. Altogether, the book has about 1300 words.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This is one of my favorite books!!!!!!, December 4, 2004

A Kid's Review

This review is from: Gracias The Thanksgiving Turkey (Paperback)

This book is special to me because it is about a holiday. I love this book because it makes me laugh, think of my family, and it makes me think about Thanksgiving. I really enjoyed this book. I really think I should keep this book in my heart. Everyday I read this book. That's why this book is important to me. Also that's why this is one of my favorite book! From,Kiana