Books
Fiction
Not This Turkey! A Thanksgiving Book for Kids
Not This Turkey! by Jessica Steinberg. Illustrations by Amanda Pike. (Albert Whitman and Company, 32 pp. $16.99)
When Papa wins a live turkey in a raffle at his workplace on the Lower East Side, the Silberklang family is overjoyed. At last they will have a real American Thanksgiving dinner, and they happily invite all their relatives.
But small Mel names the turkey Indik (Yiddish for turkey), strokes his feathers and determines that “if we cooked him for dinner I wasn’t going to eat him.”
Happily, Mr. Cohen the butcher tells Papa that Indik would be too tough to eat, and so he is saved. Instead, the guests eat delicious side dishes—noodle kugel and stuffed cabbage—nodding in agreement as Papa tells them to be thankful “that we’re all here and we’re all together.”
An immigrant family has created its own Thanksgiving tradition. A special bonus is a recipe for cranberry apple kugel with accompanying illustrations that, like the others in this book, delight the eye and tease the stomach.
estee stein says
I loved this book, especially the artwork. I bought 2 of them to give to my kids for their children (my grandchildren) for Thanksgiving. I am so excited because they are quite religious and while Thanksgiving is an American holiday, and considered secular to them, the jewish undertones will be appreciated by all. Thanks Jessica for bringing everyone together on my favorite holiday!
Francine Weinberg says
Thanks for book review. FWIW, if Hadassah hasn’t already reviewed the children’s book _A Thanksgiving Wish_ by Michael J. Rosen and paintings by John Thompson (New York: Blue Sky Press, imprint of Scholastic, 1999), consider doing so. It’s the story of the Thanksgiving created by Bubbe’s children and grandchildren the first year after Bubbe dies. Bubbe had always made the entire meal herself. A lovely tale about tradition and change, dealing with an unexpected blackout and with making new neighborhood friends. A friend gave it to me to read to my grandkids. It brings loving tears to my eyes.