Nikola-Lisa, W. (2004). Setting the Turkeys Free. New York: Jump at the Sun.
0786819529
Interest Rating: !!!!
In preparation for Thanksgiving on Thursday, I thought I'd post about Setting the Turkeys Free now, since it lends itself to the classic Thanksgiving art activity of making a turkey with the outline of a hand (although the book instructs using paint. My teachers never trusted me with something so messy. I did enough damage with markers and glitter).
As you can probably see from the cover, all of the illustrations in this book feature a turkey that is made in the shape of a child's hand. And even better (at least in my opinion) the hand used to make the turkey is that of a black child (who is shown at the beginning of the book), so black readers can feel represented.
Setting the Turkeys Free begins with a young boy giving instructions on how to make a hand-turkey. As the boy continues to construct his work of art, he begins to narrate the illustration--a wonderful example to set for young readers. The boy creates a threatening fox who wants turkey for dinner. The boy must use his imagination and arts-and-crafts skills to save his turkeys from becoming a foxy meal.
Activities:
Maaaaaaaaaaaaaaake a hand-turkey, of course! If students made cut-outs of their hand-turkeys, they could use them in a puppet show.
A teacher could also encourage students to narrate as they create other art projects and to make use of multiple mediums when creating their masterpieces.
Quotes of Note:
"Come see!
My dog and I are making a turkey!"
"Uh-oh! A storm is coming. And what's that I see? Foxy the fox! Where'd he come from?"
"No, Foxy the fox! You can't have my turkeys! But what should I do?"
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