Welcome to a fun story from Storyline Online! Today, we’re going to hear about a clever turkey who had a big problem. It’s almost Thanksgiving, and Turkey doesn’t want to be the main dish! Let’s see what he does to save himself.
Turkey was in big trouble. Thanksgiving was coming, and he didn’t want to be dinner. So, he had a smart idea: what if he dressed up like another animal? First, he tried to look like a horse. He thought, “Farmer Jake won’t eat a horse for Thanksgiving!” But Cow saw him and said, “Stop horsing around, Turkey!” Cow knew it was Turkey because he was too short. “Gobble, gobble,” sighed Turkey.
Next, Turkey tried to look like a cow. He thought, “Farmer Jake won’t eat a cow!” But Pig saw him and said, “Holy cow! Is that you, Turkey?” Pig knew it was Turkey because he was too skinny. “Gobble, gobble,” grumbled Turkey.
Then, Turkey tried to look like a pig. He thought, “Farmer Jake won’t eat a pig!” But Sheep saw him and said, “Quit being a ham, Turkey.” Sheep knew it was Turkey because he was too clean. “Gobble, gobble,” sighed Turkey.
Turkey then tried to look like a sheep. He thought, “Farmer Jake won’t eat a sheep!” But Rooster saw him and said, “Baaa-d idea, Turkey.” Rooster knew it was Turkey because he was too brown. “Gobble, gobble,” grumbled Turkey.
Finally, Turkey had his best idea. He tried to look like Rooster. He thought, “Farmer Jake won’t eat a rooster… or will he?” Turkey was worried because roosters and turkeys look a lot alike.
Farmer Jake came into the barn looking for Turkey. “Where’s the turkey?” he asked. “I don’t know,” said his wife. “Oh, dear. What will we do without a turkey for Thanksgiving?” Farmer Jake thought about eating Rooster instead!
Turkey needed one more idea, and he found it! He dressed up in his best costume yet. Ding-dong! The doorbell rang. “Happy Thanksgiving!” said the delivery person. “Did you order a pizza?” asked Farmer Jake’s wife. “Nope,” he said, “but it’s a good idea!”
So, they all sat down and enjoyed pizza for Thanksgiving. It was Turkey’s best Thanksgiving ever!
This story is funny because Turkey is so clever with his costumes. When you’re in a tricky situation, sometimes you have to think quickly to solve a problem. Turkey did a great job and even saved his friend Rooster. In the end, everyone was happy, and they all enjoyed pizza together.
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Animal Costume Parade: At home, gather some simple materials like paper, crayons, and tape. Ask your child to draw and create their own animal costume, just like Turkey did in the story. Encourage them to think about what animal they would like to be and why. Once they have their costume, have a mini parade at home where they can show off their creation. Discuss how Turkey used his creativity to solve a problem and ask your child how they might use creativity in their own life.
Problem-Solving Role Play: Set up a simple role-play scenario where your child has to solve a problem using quick thinking, just like Turkey. For example, pretend that a favorite toy is stuck on a high shelf, and they need to figure out how to get it down safely. Provide them with some props like a small stool, a toy grabber, or a piece of string. After they solve the problem, discuss how they felt and what strategies they used. Ask them how they think Turkey felt when he was trying to come up with his plans.
Observation Walk: Take your child on a short walk around your neighborhood or a local park. Ask them to observe the different animals or birds they see. Encourage them to notice the colors, sizes, and shapes of these animals. When you return home, have them draw one of the animals they saw and imagine how Turkey might disguise himself as that animal. Discuss why it’s important to observe and learn from the world around us, just like Turkey did to come up with his clever ideas.
Welcome to Storyline Online, brought to you by the SAG-AFTRA Foundation. I’m Marc Maron, and today I’m going to read “Turkey Trouble,” written by Wendi Silvano and illustrated by Lee Harper.
Turkey was in trouble. Bad trouble. The kind of trouble where it’s almost Thanksgiving, and you’re the main course. But Turkey had an idea: What if he didn’t look like a turkey? What if he looked like a horse? Surely Farmer Jake wouldn’t eat a horse for Thanksgiving. His costume wasn’t bad. In fact, Turkey looked just like a horse… almost.
“Mooooo,” said Cow. “Stop horsing around, Turkey.” “How’d you know it was me?” moaned Turkey. “Too short,” said Cow. “Gobble, gobble,” grumbled Turkey.
But looking at Cow gave Turkey a new idea. Surely Farmer Jake wouldn’t eat a cow for Thanksgiving. His costume wasn’t bad. In fact, Turkey looked just like a cow… almost. “Oink, oink, oink,” snorted Pig. “Holy cow! Is that you, Turkey?” “How’d you know it was me?” groaned Turkey. “Too skinny,” said Pig. “Gobble, gobble,” grumbled Turkey.
But looking at Pig gave Turkey a new idea. Surely Farmer Jake wouldn’t eat a pig for Thanksgiving. His costume wasn’t bad. In fact, Turkey looked just like a pig… almost. “Baaaa, baaaa,” bleated Sheep. “Quit being a ham, Turkey.” “How’d you know it was me?” wailed Turkey. “Too clean,” said Sheep. “Gobble, gobble,” grumbled Turkey.
But looking at Sheep gave Turkey a new idea. Surely Farmer Jake wouldn’t eat a sheep for Thanksgiving. His costume wasn’t bad. In fact, Turkey looked just like a sheep… almost. “Cock-a-doodle-doo!” crowed Rooster. “Baaa-d idea, Turkey.” “How’d you know it was me?” howled Turkey. “Too brown,” squawked Rooster. “Gobble, gobble,” grumbled Turkey.
But looking at Rooster gave Turkey a new idea. In fact, it was his best idea yet. He already looked a lot like Rooster. This costume would be easy! Surely Farmer Jake wouldn’t eat a rooster for Thanksgiving… or would he? Rooster might be his next choice, Turkey worried, since roosters and turkeys look so much alike. Oh, gobble, gobble!
Farmer Jake came into the barn. “Turkey, turkey, turkey? Come out, come out, wherever you are.” “Where’s the turkey?” asked Farmer Jake’s wife. “I don’t know,” he said. “I looked everywhere!” “Oh, dear. What will we do without a turkey for Thanksgiving?” “Well… we could always eat the rooster, I guess.”
Oh, no, not Rooster! thought Turkey. He looked around desperately for one more idea. Then, he found it… His costume wasn’t bad. In fact, it was Turkey’s best yet!
Ding-dong… “Happy Thanksgiving!” “Did you order a pizza?” asked Farmer Jake’s wife. “Nope,” he said. “But it’s a good idea.” So they all sat down and enjoyed the pizza. And it was Turkey’s best Thanksgiving ever!
The end.
I chose this book because it’s pretty funny. I thought the turkey was clever with the costumes, and I think when you’re in a bit of fear and panic, you have to figure out something to avoid something bad happening. Sometimes you have to think on your feet, and I thought he did a pretty good job at that. He saved his buddy the rooster too, helping everyone out, and they all lived another year and just enjoyed pizza.
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