Setting the Turkeys Free

by W. Nikola-Lisa, Ken Wilson-Max (Illustrator)

A young boy uses his hands, paint, sequins, and everything imaginable to make beautiful turkeys in his picture. Soon his imagination takes over, and the turkeys take on a life of their own. But Foxy the fox is on the prowl. How can the boy hold tight to the turkeys he loves and keep them safe from harm? A child's voice and bright bold artwork capture the sweetness and humor in this warmhearted story.

Genres: Picture Books, Thanksgiving, Art, Holiday, Childrens, Fiction, Storytime

32 pages, Hardcover

First published September 1, 2004

About the author

W. Nikola-Lisa's interest in writing books for young readers began as an elementary school teacher. He is the author of numerous books, including the award-winning Bein' With You This Way (Lee & Low), Shake Dem Halloween Bones (Houghton Mifflin) and the How We Are Smart (Lee & Low), recipient of the prestigious Christopher Award. As an accomplished storyteller and musician, Mr. Nikola-Lisa enjoys sharing his writing experiences with elementary and middle school students nationwide.

Reviews

[Peacegal · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was hoping for a turkey rescue a la 'TWAS THE NIGHT BEFORE THANKSGIVING, but that's not what we have here. Instead, it's the story of a child who starts out making handprint turkey artwork, and his imagination and creativity take over as he creates a world and a story for his artwork. Great celebration of the power of art! And even though the turkeys were fingerpaint and not real, it's always nice to see the birds protected and loved rather than served on a plate!

[Rose Rosetree · Rating 5 out of 5]

The power of art to bring joy is the true topic of this book, far as I can tell.

The narrator starts making turkeys with paint. Soon his imagination takes over and his big fantasy adventure begins.

IN CONCLUSION

This book will appeal most strongly to visual children and kids who love crafts. (Ditto, adults with similar visual talents.)

All this leaves me out. But I'm not the intended audience for this sweet-and-creative book. So here's my FIVE STAR RATING.

[Jessica Tonkin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Modern Fantasy, Grade Preschool-1st

This book was so so cute and very creative. The typical turkey hand print made by school children everywhere was given new life. There are very imaginative backgrounds and I could see children really engaging with this book. It could be used for an art lesson, or just as a fun book around Thanksgiving.

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Simple but fun.

[Jeani · Rating 4 out of 5]

Just fantastic!

[Kelly · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love the illustrations!

[Melki · Rating 4 out of 5]

A little boy works very hard to protect his handprint turkeys from a hungry fox. Cute and clever!

[Teresa Alpizar · Rating 4 out of 5]

Modern Fantasy
PreK-1st grade
This book is a very simple and fun read for younger students. The author uses great examples of imagination, humor, and creativity by bringing the turkeys alive in the story. This book would be helpful to include during fall/Thanksgiving unit and even for an art lesson!

[Priscilla Gilman · Rating 5 out of 5]

I started off liking this book and ended up loving it. If I could, I would take a big breath and poof away all low-star ratings, because this book is perfectly delightful. The language is tightly crafted and alive at every turn; the point of view empathic with a child’s play, and the illustrations are not only fun and smart but they give us something too rarely represented—black-boy innocence. I was thrilled to send this one to my four-year-old nephew and I’ve just gotten back a video of him performing it page by page from memory. Definitely a hit. I hope there will be future collaborations from this writer/illustrator team.

[Stephanie Skolmoski · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a fun book to start the Thanksgiving season! Setting the Turkeys Free is not only a cute story but a great activity. You will definitely need aprons as children make turkey after turkey with their cute hand prints. Once the turkeys are dry, they can be decorated with all sorts of stuff. Then, children can make up their own stories about their turkeys.

The villain in this story is a fox and how his attempt at catching a turkey is foiled by a large rock. Children will love reading this book as well as creating their own turkeys and stories.

[Erin · Rating 4 out of 5]

You know how when a kid starts a drawing or a painting, it can take on a life of its own? This book follows a boy through his creative process. He starts off making a hand turkey painting. Then he makes more turkeys. Then he makes a fence. Then a forest in the background. Then, a fox shows up! Oh, no! He wants to eat the turkeys! What will happen to them all??

Good for preschool and older kid storytimes.

[Dolly · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a sweet book; a boy uses his hands, some paint and his imagination to create a story about turkeys and a wily fox. Our girls have made a lot of turkeys this way and the bright, colorful illustrations are great to show off the little boy's creations. This is a good book to read during Thanksgiving, although it's not specifically centered around the holiday.

[Mary · Rating 4 out of 5]

A young boy tells a story using his handprint to make turkeys decorated with feather and glitter. Preschoolers will be inspired to create their own handprint art work after listening to this picture book. Observant readers will also notice that the young storyteller has a dog named Foxy who resembles the fox who chases the turkeys.

[LINDA · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book to my cousin's children at Thanksgiving, and we all loved it! Very creative and fun. It would be nice to accompany this book with a similar craft idea of the children making their own handprint turkeys and decorating them.

[Sydney · Rating 3 out of 5]

A young artist uses his painted palm to create a turkey and decorates it. As he adds more elements to his picture, a story unfolds. He makes a choice to solve the problem that arises and then has another problem to solve. An engaging read aloud for young children.

[Lisa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Creativity set free! 'Hand-turkeys' escaping a fox is brought to life in W. Nikola-Lisa's story about a little boy with a vivid imagination. Fun and lively, Ken Wilson-Max's illustrations add to the adventure.

[HeavyReader · Rating 2 out of 5]

I read this book real quick one day at work because I was curious. It's a story about a kid and his art and imagination. It was ok. Not super. Not bad. I would read it to a little kid.

[Darla · Rating 5 out of 5]

The amusing illustrations make it a perfect way to tie-in a storytime craft. Fun and imaginative.

[Sandybear76 · Rating 2 out of 5]

Read to first graders today.

[Teri · Rating 3 out of 5]

Don't love the story--but it's really fun to read as an intro. into making handprint turkey art-- lots of fun ways to think outside the box instead of just making a turkey handprint.

[Samantha Quarterman · Rating 4 out of 5]

This could make for a fun Thanksgiving related art project for a program!

[Julie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a really fun book. It would be great to follow up with a finger painting activity using items mentioned in this book. I wish she created other books like this one.

[Cian · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cian's fave T'day book 2015

[Jennifer · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book about Thanksgiving turkey hand-prints coming to life, evading a fox, and returning to their maker is a cute introduction to a turkey hand-print craft.