Run, Turkey, Run!

by Diane Mayr, Laura Rader (Illustrator)

With Thanksgiving only one day away, can Turkey find a place to hide from the farmer who's looking for a plump bird for his family feast? Maybe he can hide with the pigs . . . or the ducks . . . or the horses . . . Uh-oh! Here comes the farmer! Run, Turkey, run!

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

32 pages, Hardcover

First published September 18, 2007

Reviews

[Calista · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was a little humorous. Overall, it did not really appeal to me, but at least it was a different kind of Thanksgiving book. So many of them are all the same. This is simply about a Turkey running for it's life from a farmer. The poor family end up having to eat grilled cheese for Thanksgiving as they have not turkey and apparently, no access to a store.

The nephew gave it 3 stars and he thought the turkey being chased by the gun toting farmer was chuckle worthy. The niece wouldn't read it, or didn't want to.

I gave it an extra star for being a little unique in the Thanksgiving literature.

[LaDonna · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 STARS...Rounding can be our friend.

I must give Diane Mayr credit. She knows her audience. Run, Turkey, Run! is definitely not a book that I would read again. However, it keeps the younger/ newer readers highly entertained. It tells the story of a turkey running for his life as he tries to get away from the farmer. The laughs (not mine) follow as the turkey tries to hide among other animals. By the end, the family has grilled cheese for Thanksgiving dinner. (I am not a fan of turkey, but really?)

Anyway...we, as adults, may not appreciate this book. But, again, the story is not for us.

[eweFace · Rating 5 out of 5]

Why are parents afraid of telling their child the truth?
If you eat meat you can't deny it. Deal with it. You're killing another living one so you better be sure you can live with being like that. End.
I would suggest letting the kid read this book. It's up to him whether he feels bad for the turkey or not. Let them go and explore what means to have an opinion.

Btw great illustrations. It's worth having this one for schools.

[Lindsay · Rating 5 out of 5]

Comical, simple, and very adorable!

[Luisa Knight · Rating 2 out of 5]

Overall, it was a pretty cute story ... despite the fact that it's about humans going without turkey for Thanksgiving. Why is this an agenda with children's books? It's a vegetarian conspiracy or something; I'm sure of it! Ha ha!

I thought the ending was pretty funny!

Ages: 3 - 6

Cleanliness: nothing to note.

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[Stacy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun Thanksgiving book

[Josie B. · Rating 4 out of 5]

This tale of Turkey's terrible day as he attempts to elude the Farmer is perfectly paced for preschoolers 3-5 years old. Every time I repeat the refrain, "Run, Turkey, run!", I have the children slap their thighs in a running patter. They love it. After reading the book, I like to retell it with a parachute and beanie baby animals-- we make Turkey run by bouncing him in the chute. Retelling stories with children using props and stuffed animals is a simple way to nurture narrative skills. This book pairs nicely with this finger-play:

Sung to the tune of Yankee Doodle

Mr. Turkey went out one day (Begin with both hands behind back)
In the bright sunshiny weather (Bring one out as Mr. Turkey)
He met Mr. Duck along the way (Other hand comes out for Mr. Duck)
And they stopped to talk together. (hands "face" each other)
They said: Gobble, gobble, gobble (Mr. Turkey bows and gobbles)
Quack, quack, quack. (Mr. Duck bows and quacks)
Gobble, gobble, gobble (Mr. Turkey) Quack, quack, quack. (Mr. Duck)
Gobble, gobble, gobble (Mr. Turkey) Quack, quack, quack. (Mr. Duck)
And then they both went back. (Hands return behind back)
Quack! (Mr. Duck comes out for one more quack)

You can hear and see the finger-play at the King County Public Library website:

http://wiki.kcls.org/index.php/Mr.Tur...

[Jane · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just a perfect book for preschool children at Thanksgiving. Run,Turkey, Run! embraces phrase repetition to the delight of my preschool classroom of children. They love when they can repeat a phrase that repeats and be part of the reading experience. I also have the CD so they can listen to the story independently with sound effects to add another auditory reading experience.

The farmer chases the poor turkey as all of his friends help him to hide and escape. This can lead to discussions of the importance of friends and what friends do for one another. It is also a good book to talk about the foods we ear for Thanksgiving and the holiday traditions. Humor is present in the 'new' menu for the farmer's family for Thanksgiving. The illustrations are colorful and attractive to preschool age children. Run, Turkey, Run! is a class favorite every November.

[Laura Irrgang · Rating 4 out of 5]

What's not to like about a turkey running from the farmer the day before Thanksgiving? Kids will get a kick out of watching turkey scramble through the farm in an attempt to avoid becoming dinner. He tries to blend in with the other farmyard animals, but his disguises are not quite up to par. The publisher recommends ages 4 and up, but I think children as young as 2 1/2 would appreciate this tale. Best of all, they get to chime in on the refrain, "Run, turkey-run!" Diane Mayr

[Kendra · Rating 5 out of 5]

The illustrations that Laura Rader creates in this book are nothing but amazing with the details. It felt like you could touch the feathers of the turkey. The text was amazing and had my three kids laughing when they would say "NO!" about each place the Turkey tried to hide from the farmer. They thought it was funny that the Turkey tried to pretend to be a pig and other animals on the farm with no success. It's a great story to read before Thanksgiving. I totally recommend reading this with all ages.

Read more of my reviews:
http://lifeofstay-at-homemom.blogspot...

[The Library Lady · Rating 4 out of 5]

The usual sort of "turkey flees from being invited to Thanksgiving dinner as the main course" tale, but one of the best I've seen for younger kids. The turkey flees through barn, farmyard and field, trying to blend in with the other animals and never succeeding. There's a frequent cry of "run, turkey, run!" for the kids to join in on, farm animals to imitate and a happy ending. The artwork is full of action and the pictures are big and clear enough to use with a group. I'll be thankful for this one for many a story hour to come!

[Stephanie Skolmoski · Rating 4 out of 5]

It’s the day before Thanksgiving and everyone is preparing for the big feast. Rolls, pies, sweet potatoes, salads and fresh vegetables are all being prepared and everyone is helping. All that is left is the main dish — THE TURKEY!!! Dad’s about to go out and find the biggest and best turkey for this special dinner.

Well, this turkey has a different idea and isn’t about to be the “main event!” He becomes the best runner and hides everywhere, just out of sight of the farmer.

Just wait for the last page and find out what happens at this Thanksgiving feast!

[Liane · Rating 4 out of 5]

Genre: Picture book

Reading Level: Late Emergent

Topics & Themes: Thanksgiving.

Curricular Use: Read aloud

Social: Could be seen as traumatizing to young children, giving a face to food. Might be suggestive of vegetarian lifestyle.

Literary Elements: Personification. Repetition: Run, Turkey, Run on every page. Frequent use of Onomatopoeia.

Text & Pictures: Interaction. Bright, colorful illustrations. Brings the adventure and the panic of the turkey to life.

[Holly Nelson · Rating 4 out of 5]

An hilarious book about a turkey who is running away from a farmer so he doesn't turn out being the main course for dinner. After pretending to be animals, he finally hides as a tree and get's away from the farmer. Christmas time comes around and the family finds him again and he must be on the run away. Funny story that could teach kids that a turkey is good. Might be a little too sensible to kids who don't understand you have to kill a turkey in order to eat it.

[Jennie · Rating 1 out of 5]

I just flipped through this one at the library, but I have to say it is a really bad idea for the age group its geared towards. Granted, my kids have no problem with "food with a face," but we don't need to read about the farmer trying to chase the turkey down. Turkey is tastey - I'm not ready for vegetarians!

[Jackie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thanksgiving Day is fast approaching and turkey is a little nervous. As he tries to disguise himself among the other barnyard animals, he is encouraged by their cries of Run, Turkey, Run!. But, does he fool the farmer and escape his fate? There is always another holiday looming!

Used for "We Are Thankful" Storytime-November, 2010.

[Melanie Hetrick · Rating 4 out of 5]

A storytime favorite! Turkey's time is limited if he doesn't get away from the farmer. He tries to hide himself in the pig trough, horse barn, and other places but he continually has to run from the farmer.

Until he finds a good hiding spot in the woods. Now he's safe. Until the farmer begins looking for a good Christmas tree!

[Stacy Turco]

This book is a funny Thanksgiving book. the turkey is on the run from the farmer when the farmer is looking for a turkey to serve for dinner. The turkeys try to find a place to hide so they aren't choses for dinner but the farmer is looking everywhere for them. the pictures are very well done and they are very funny trying to find the turkey in the pig pen, in trees.

[Glasdow Teacosy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute book. My daughter liked it. Kept comparing it to the Gingerbread Man. Cheerful art. Nice pace. I loved the honesty of the story. We eat turkeys and they come from farmers. What if one could escape? Great ending.

[Madison · Rating 4 out of 5]

Funny book about a farmer chasing after a turkey before thanksgiving. The ending is kind of up in the air of what happens. This could e a writing prompt for students to write what they think happened next or create their own ending.

[Christy Whitaker · Rating 5 out of 5]

Turkey is in trouble as Thanksgiving nears. He is invited to the dinner table, but not as a guest. He runs all over the farm to evade the farmer. He runs into the woods, under the water, etc. This is a great book to introduce positional words (under, in, above, etc.) to your students.

[Eric · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful read aloud for primary grade level kids...used to demonstrate "Point of View" as part of a gifted and talented lesson.

[Casandria · Rating 4 out of 5]

A surprisingly funny Thanksgiving book. Turkey tries to impersonate other animals to avoid becoming Thanksgiving dinner.

[Kelly · Rating 4 out of 5]

The turkey is on the run and hiding from the farmer as he doesn't want to be dinner! Good for read aloud!

[Ruth Ellen · Rating 4 out of 5]

It is Thanksgiving and the farmer is looking for Turkey. Read and see if he finds him.

[Paul Dilley · Rating 4 out of 5]

OK this book is ridiculous but my kids love it. And it has an Iowa farm feel to it so there's a geographical affinity that is hard to find in children's books (only Prairie Alphabet comes to mind)

[Eva-Marie Nevarez · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 - This would get a higher rating from me if it weren't for the muckity-muck, splashity-splash, etc. parts. The story itself is actually pretty funny.
The story starts with the turkey having a bad day. We can all imagine why I suppose. So when the farmer goes outside to gather up his turkey... the turkey takes off. The turkey tries to hide in the mid in the pig pen, the water with the ducks, etc. Nothing works.
The best aspect of this part of the book, where the turkey is hiding with/around other animals is that the story gets the child involved. The children can shout, along with the other animals rooting for turkey, "No! Run, turkey, run!". (This is one of the parts I found slightly annoying but that Julia loved.
Eventually the turkey realizes he can't hide anywhere on the farm and he runs into the woods. Long story short, the farmer and his family end up eating grilled cheese sandwiches for Thansgiving dinner. :-)
There is a really cute page nearing the end with the turkey and two rabbits dancing their hearts out and it's just the cutest ever. Julia made me turn back to it after we were finished and I have to agree, it's just so super cute.
A cool little addition to the end of the story is when the farmer and family go into the... can you guess? They go into the woods to pick out their Christmas tree and run into..... the turkeys face is classic.
I feel the need to add something. We didn't have turkey this year. My daughter is five years old and learned in school that turkey is indeed, ahem, turkey. Needless to say she wasn't thrilled and effectively banned turkey. Also needless to say, we listened like the good little adults that we are.
Julia feels so strongly that in her Thanksgiving school play she refused to sing the words 'turkey on the table' in a song. She firmly planted her lips shut and waited patiently for that part to be over before she began singing again.
I've always considered her to be a somewhat sensitive child but she had no problem with this story. I think that may be because I've always pushed the 'a picture book isn't real, the movie you're watching is fake' bit with her. She's watched things on t.v. that most kids her age wouldn't watch/be allowed to watch. She watches nature shows with animals tearing into each other that I could never watch. But, she knows what is real and what isn't. And while she knows that people eat turkey, she also knows that this story is not real. This is what allowed her to enjoy the story without becoming upset or angry.
I don't know if I'd actually recommend it. It depends on the child. I'd suggest reading it alone real quick first and then deciding.

[Holliann · Rating 1 out of 5]

I was a little alarmed by this book. It is a farmer that is trying to catch Thanksgiving dinner. In all fairness, that is kind of what happens if you eat turkey on Thanksgiving. So, I was thinking that I might be too sensitive, and I let my 5 year old read it to himself. He was devastated, and I think we may end up with a little vegetarian:) The book kind of depicts the turkey as a friend. I am not saying that this is the worst book ever, I just think it is probably more for a 3 year old that doesn't really get it, or a 7 year old that really gets it. Definitely one that you would check out from the library, and not add to your own collection.

[Heather · Rating 3 out of 5]

18 months/30 months - cute story. Reality is we eat turkey and someone has to do the nasty business of getting the bird from the farm yard to the table. When we first read this I'm sure O didn't truly understand what it was about. At around 20 months she would say "bock bock" and sign and say chicken as she would eat chicken at dinner time. She knows what she's eating so it's not a traumatic story for her but we are pleased when turkey escapes.

[Aleece · Rating 2 out of 5]

While I understand the concept of the Turkey being caught to become Thanksgiving dinner I think kids are going to have a problem with this book because the Turkey is cute. While they are certainly going to be cheering for him to escape I think it might be a little much for young children to understand/handle. I liked the illustrations but the concept is a little on the older side especially because children may not understand where their food comes from.