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Over the River: A Turkey's Tale Reviews
Over the River: A Turkey's Tale is available
at your local bookstore
or online
From
School Library Journal
PreS-Gr 3-Anderson's amusing
acrylic artwork provides a new twist on a favorite holiday song. The
book contains the familiar
lyrics, but the
illustrations show that in this version, it's a turkey family on the
way to Grandma's house. As a young bird carrying a Pilgrim doll and his
parents walk through the snowy woods, they meet a horse that "knows
the way/to carry the sleigh" and does so-literally, trotting up
a hill with a sled tucked under one arm. Meanwhile, a young hunter and
a barely ferocious-looking hound are going over their plan to catch a
gobbler for dinner. They give chase as the birds come into view, but
an odd scarecrow (the turkeys in disguise) temporarily stops the pursuers
in their tracks. Then the horse screeches downhill on the sled right
into the middle of everything, and the pie is ruined. But, this is Thanksgiving,
after all, and everyone sits down for a nice meal-except for the boy,
who is still outside hunting down his hunting hound. This is a fun, humorous
addition to Thanksgiving collections. Children will enjoy looking at
the entertaining illustrations and comparing the chaos pictured there
to the words of the old song. The lyrics and music are included on the
endpapers.-Roxanne Burg, Orange County Public Library, CA Copyright 2005
Reed Business Information.
From Booklist
PreS-K^B. Here's a turkey's take on Lydia Maria Child's old song about
traveling over the river and through the woods to grandmother's house.
Little Tom Turkey, clutching his Pilgrim doll, sets out with his mom
and dad on Thanksgiving. The subsequent action follows the song, but
with several added twists and turns. As the words to the familiar song
loop across the pages, the pictures tell a story of their own, making
it clear that the boy and his large, toothsome hound that appear in
the wood are intent on having turkey for dinner. Anderson's eye-popping
acrylic pictures, big and vibrant enough for group sharing, give immediacy
to the ensuing chase, which resolves itself in a dramatic pileup with
a friendly Thanksgiving feast with dog biscuits and vegetables, not
turkey, on the menu. The music is on the endpapers, handy for a sing-
or play-along. Connie Fletcher
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
From Kirkus
Reviews
Anderson
keeps most of the classic Thanksgiving song's lyrics,
but puts a decided twist on its customary scenario. Here,
a
family of turkeys in 19th -century dress (the little
one clutching a Pilgrim doll) set out for Grandma's--only
to
run into a turkey-hunting lad and dog. A wild chase ensues,
culminating in a face-off that ends with the precipitate
arrival of the horse on the sleigh--actually a sled,
but why be picky. Picking themselves up, the chastened
animals
all repair to Grandma's for a Thanksgiving feast of the
vegetarian sort. The boy is left out in the woods, which
seems mean-spirited, but young readers will be so captivated
by the fracas in Anderson's big, exuberant cartoons,
they might not even notice. Musical arrangement, with full
lyrics,
on the endpapers. (Picture book. All ages) Copyright ©2005
Kirkus Reviews
From Tribune-Review
(Pittsburgh)
You talk about
taking a familiar tune and giving it a clever new twist. In Derek Anderson's
rendition of this well-known song, the family that is traveling over
the river and through the woods to grandmother's house is a family
of turkeys,
each and every one of them dolled up for a day of pleasantries, though
the trek is anything but easy. An old gray horse knows the way through
the snowy woods, but a young hunter with an amiable hound dog in tow
has other plans, making the adventure of the gobblers anything
but routine.
All's well that ends well, as they say, with Derek Anderson's colorful
acrylics garnering high grades for their imagination. -Nicholas
A. Basbanes
From
Pioneer Press (St. Paul)
Minneapolis
illustrator Derek Anderson uses the lyrics of a popular Thanksgiving
song as the
text for his new kids' picture
book, "Over
the River: A Turkey's Tale" (Simon & Schuster, $14.95). But
his version offers a hilarious twist on the traditional tune: The protagonists
are turkeys. On its way through the woods to grandmother's house, the
turkey family meets a boy with a rifle and a dog set on bagging a bird
for the holiday dinner. Anderson, who won acclaim for his children's series "Little Quack," has
an eye for humor. The young turkey clutches a pilgrim doll and a horse
literally picks up and carries his sled "through the white and
drifted snow." All ends charmingly well, thanks to a collision involving hunter and
prey, the horse on his sled and a pumpkin pie. Everyone shares a vegetarian
Thanksgiving dinner with dog biscuits. Lyrics and music are printed
on the end pages for those who want to sing along. - Maja
Beckstrom