Gus, the Pilgrim Turkey

September 1, 2008
K-Gr 3-Bateman offers up a workmanlike parallel between a turkey on a journey to save himself from a Thanksgiving feast and the Pilgrims of yore who created the tradition he seeks to avoid. Gus has grown up on a farm with all the amenities and has a penchant for dressing up. After hearing from his barnyard friends that turkeys "don't make it to January," he packs his things and follows the flocks of birds migrating south. Turkeys are good eating everywhere though, and life is dangerous until he meets an accommodating parcel of penguins at the South Pole and discovers that this journey to safety has made him a pilgrim. Though the concept has potential, Gus's story unfolds with the straightforwardness of a school composition; even the page design, with its tired Comic Sans font, doesn't make the most of the material. Sasaki's cartoon paintings have the same pedestrian feel as the narrative. For this holiday, read Eve Bunting's "A Turkey for Thanksgiving" (Clarion, 1991) or Mary Jane Auch's "Beauty and the Beaks" (Holiday House, 2007) instead."Lisa Egly Lehmuller, St. Patrick's Catholic School, Charlotte, NC"

Copyright 2008 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

September 15, 2008
The author of April Foolishness (2004) offers another humorous, holiday-themed picture book. Gus the turkey lives a fabulous life, spending his time gobbling with friends, wearing what he likes, and eating all the time. He looks forward to winter until his friends explain, Turkeys dont make it to January around here. Alarmed, Gus packs up and leaves, hiking through Mexico (where he is horrified to see what happens to a bird-shaped piata), stowing away on a South Polebound ocean liner (where he is nearly roasted by the crew), and finally camouflaging himself inhis tuxedoas a penguin. Batemans witty prose works well with Sasakis lively, colorful artwork, which fully captures Gus exuberant innocence. The story is played for laughs, but Gus realization that he has much in common with the Pilgrims of Plymouth makes for a satisfying ending. A good choice for holiday story hours or one-on-one sharing; recommend to fans of Mary Jane Auchs Beauty and the Beaks: A Turkeys Cautionary Tale(2007).(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2008, American Library Association.)

January 1, 2009
Gus, a young turkey, goes on the lam as Thanksgiving rolls around. He jumps on a ship and arrives at the South Pole where he dons a tuxedo and hides among the penguins. Bright watercolor, colored-pencil, and pen-and-ink cartoons capture the story's humor, though the one-note joke does get old.

(Copyright 2009 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)