Duck for Turkey Day

by Jacqueline Jules, Kathryn Mitter (Illustrator)

It's almost Thanksgiving, and Tuyet is excited about the holiday and the vacation from school. There's just one problem: her Vietnamese American family is having duck for Thanksgiving dinner - not turkey! Nobody has duck for Thanksgiving - what will her teacher and the other kids think? To her surprise, Tuyet enjoys her yummy thanksgiving dinner anyhow - and an even bigger surprise is waiting for her at school on Monday. Dinners from roast beef to lamb to enchiladas adorned the Thanksgiving tables of her classmates, but they all had something in common - family! Kids from families with different traditions will enjoy this warm story about "the right way" to celebrate an American holiday.

Genres: Thanksgiving, Picture Books, Cultural, Food, Childrens, Holiday, Family

32 pages, Hardcover

First published September 1, 2009

About the author

I am a children's author, teacher, librarian, and poet. My books include the Zapato Power series, the Sofia Martinez series, Pluto is Peeved, Unite or Die: How Thirteen States Became a Nation, Duck for Turkey Day, Never Say a Mean Word Again, and Feathers for Peacock. Please visit me at http://www.jacquelinejules.com

Reviews

[Mariah Roze · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great book that teaches about tolerance and the true importance of Thanksgiving. You should be thankful for your life and spend it with your friends and family. It does not matter what you eat.

[Abigail · Rating 3 out of 5]

Tuyet is excited to celebrate Thanksgiving at home, but dismayed that her Vietnamese-American family's feast will involve duck, rather than the more traditional turkey. She tries to convince her mother and grandmother that this is Turkey Day, just like she learned at school, but is informed in return that her family prefers duck. Tuyet too enjoys duck, and has a good time with her cousins on Thanksgiving Day itself. But what will she tell her teacher and classmates, when they discuss their holiday celebrations...?

With its story of a young Asian-American girl struggling to reconcile her expectations regarding the American celebration of a particular holiday with her immigrant family's own traditions, Duck for Turkey Day reminded me a bit of the middle-grade novel, Peiling and the Chicken-Fried Christmas , about a Chinese-American girl and her longing for a "real" American Christmas. The story here is sweet, and the conclusion heartwarming, leading young reader/listeners to the idea that there is no one true way to celebrate Thanksgiving (or any other holiday), and that the day isn't really about the food you eat, but the feelings you have, and the people with whom you celebrate. The artwork from illustrator Kathryn Mitter is colorful and cute - well-matched to the story. Recommended to anyone looking for children's stories that feature diverse ways of celebrating Thanksgiving.

[Kathryn · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 STARS

Tuyet and her classmates focus on turkeys, turkeys, turkeys in class leading up to Thanksgiving. When class is out before the Thanksgiving break, Tuyet's teacher even wishes them "Happy Turkey Day!" But when Tuyet gets home, she finds out that her Vietnamese-American family is having *duck* for Thanksgiving! Tuyet is crushed. How will it be a real Thanksgiving feast without turkey!?

This is a sensitive and engaging story to which many children will probably be able to relate, no matter their cultural background. I think pretty much everyone has had an experience when they felt that they were the "odd one out" or that their family didn't do things quite like other families. Tuyet clearly loves her family and wants to be respectful of their traditions, but she is so used to hearing about what is "popular" for Thanksgiving and her worries are so touching and vivid. The part where she brings her little turkey from class (crafted of a pinecone and paper) to the dinner table so that a turkey will be present is just, wow! Of course, there is a wonderful resolution with her family, and also with her teacher who clarifies that Thanksgiving isn't really about the turkey, and her classmates who reveal some surprises about their own Thanksgiving dinners! ;-)

Note: While the book does focus on meat-based holiday meals, I was happy to see that one of the girls in Tuyet's class has a tofu "turkey" for Thanksgiving. It is hard to find Thanksgiving books for vegetarians/vegans, so this was nice to see.

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Probably a 4 from me and a 4.5 or 5 from my kids due to the unintentional laugh line at the end (see note below). I liked that this book explored what other families eat for Thanksgiving... and that there was acceptance and appreciation on the main character's part at the end for her own traditions.

Personal Note: My family thought it was hysterical that they mentioned the vegetarian family and their tofurky. This was not meant to be humorous at all but my two kids burst out laughing since I have been a vegetarian for the past few months and my husband has been joking with me for the past few months about how he didn't want me to surprise him with tofurky for Thanksgiving. Since I'm the cook in the house (I LOVE cooking) everyone's been eating less meat just because I'm the one preparing things... but he didn't want me to mess with his traditional Thanksgiving meal. (Though, even I would rather not have tofurky - just not big on meat substitutes - I, instead, feasted on the wonderful vegetables around the table and felt very satisfied!!)

[Allison Barry · Rating 4 out of 5]

Text-to-self: This story reminds me of a time when I found out my cousin was having duck for Thanksgiving. I was in such a shock! All I eat for Thanksgiving is turkey because that is what my culture grew up having. I can only imagine how my cousin felt when he told all his friends that he didn't have turkey for Thanksgiving. Now, I feel bad for asking him why he wasn't having turkey for Thanksgiving! It's okay to not fit in with the norm.

Text-to-text: I read a book called, Thanksgiving Rules by Laurie B. Friedman. I compared this book with Friedman's book because they both address the importance of giving thanks and spending time with your family or other important people in your life. It doesn't necessarily matter what's for dinner. :)

Text-to-world: I connected this book with advertisements on the television during the Thanksgiving season. The American culture traditionally celebrates Thanksgiving with turkey and advertises that specific culture to millions of televisions each year. America is one big melting pot. There are so many other cultures who believe in celebrating Thanksgiving without a turkey. It's a shame they don't advertise those families celebrating Thanksgiving.

[Jennifer Kim · Rating 4 out of 5]

“Duck for Turkey Day” tells a fictional story about a Vietnamese girl and her feelings of confusion between her Vietnamese culture at home and American culture at school. This story tells of how the young girl, Tuyet, finds out how her family will be having duck rather than turkey for Thanksgiving dinner. She is upset and fearful until she finds out that her fellow peers have different experiences on Thanksgiving Day as well. This story could teach my students about holidays and school environments (ex. Thanksgiving Day and Tuyet learns all this in school). The students can also learn more about how everyone is different; there are similarities that help bond us together. This book can go as far as to teach students how different cultures celebrate on this American holiday (ex. eat duck, enchiladas, or lamb). Although Jacqueline Jules is not an author who is part of the Vietnamese culture, she provides a insight into a girl who is tormented at the thought of doing something “incorrect.”

[Kasmarine · Rating 5 out of 5]

Duck for Turkey Day (2009) is Vietnamese American realistic fiction. Jacqueline Jules suggested that “it doesn’t matter what you eat on Thanksgiving, as long as you have a good time with family and friends.” She developed it through the eye of a Vietnamese girl, Tuyet, who understood that Thanksgiving meant turkey but her family preferred duck. Back to school, Tuyet’s eyes were burn with tears when the teacher ask the class to talk about their dinner, but to her surprise, none of the children had turkey; instead, they had their traditional foods. The author’s apparent purpose was to explain that Thanksgiving is not just about “turkey” but about family and friends spending time together. Therefore, the author’s intended audience could be anybody and at any age, especially those who are trying to acculturate into American culture.

[Julie · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a sweet story about a little Vietnamese American girl who is embarrassed that her family isn't having turkey for Thanksgiving dinner. She learns that it doesn't matter what you eat for Thanksgiving, and that many of her friends have non-traditional foods too.

So far so good, BUT this story could go so much further and have so much more meaning if it took the time to teach that Thanksgiving is about being THANKFUL. It never once addresses the true meaning of Thanksgiving, and continually refers to it as "Turkey Day", which wipes the meaning completely away from the day. I agree, it doesn't matter what you eat. But what matters is that you Give Thanks.

[Amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Tuyet's Vietnamese-American family is having duck for Thanksgiving. But she is embarrassed it is not turkey! She tells her teacher she had duck, and the other kids say what they had: Noodles, roast beef, tofu turkey, enchiladas, etc.

[John · Rating 4 out of 5]

Growing up it seemed perfectly normal to serve potato salad, German potato salad, and kidney bean salad on Thanksgiving. It wasn't until college I discovered it was not "normal."

[Candice M (tinylibrarian) · Rating 4 out of 5]

"It doesn't matter what you eat on Thanksgiving, as long as you have a good time with family and friends." - from Duck for Turkey Day

A super cute, multicultural story about Thanksgiving.

[Jackie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Duck for Turkey Day
by Jacqueline Jules

This book is about a young Vietnamese American girl named, Tuyet, who is sad and embarrassed that her family does not celebrate Thanksgiving like everyone else. She wants to eat turkey on Thanksgiving but learns that her family will be having duck instead. She is so worried about what her teacher and classmates will think but in the end she is happy to learn that not everyone celebrates Thanksgiving by just eating turkey.
I recommend this book because it teaches young children to be proud of their culture. This book is perfect for a young multicultural classroom because it celebrates different cultures. Young readers can follow the vivid illustrations that paint a clear picture of what is happening in the text. Today our classrooms are filled with students from diverse backgrounds and teachers can use this book to teach students about acceptance and invite them to share their culture and traditions. This book celebrates Vietnamese culture during an American traditional holiday.

[Anthony · Rating 4 out of 5]

Tuyet is looking forward to celebrating Thanksgiving with her family but is worried about what her classmates and teacher will think when she shares that her Vietnamese American family is having a duck, not turkey. On the following Monday, during open discussion, Tuyet discovers there is more to Thanksgiving than eating turkey.

[Ina · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great book to remind us that we "Americans" are often from other places in the world and that we are a culture of many traditions. Tuyet is a young Vietnamese-American girl, who enjoys all her class preparations for Thanksgiving. When her teacher wishes them all a "Happy Turkey Day" she excitedly comes home to talk to her mom about getting turkey for the big day...only to be told that at their house they would be serving duck in a spicy sauce. As the daughter of non-American parents, I could identify with Tuyet's desire for turkey, feeling that it was somehow wrong to eat anything else but turkey on Thanksgiving. Thanksgiving at Tuyet's house looks just like Thanksgivings across America - women in the kitchen, filling the house with wonderful smells, cousins playing, grandparent's reminiscing. The whole family sits down to a wonderful meal, even beginning it by stating what they are thankful for, and everyone leaves happy and full. Back in class, Tuyet's teacher invites all the children to share stories about each of their celebrations and Tuyet is, once again, embarrassed by her family's lack of turkey. She quickly feels much better when many of her classmates share what foods they ate on Thanksgiving: lamb, chicken and noodles, and even a tofu turkey. The message is clear: Thanksgiving isn't about Turkey, it is about a special time with family and about celebrating one's heritage, whatever that may be.

[Peacegal · Rating 2 out of 5]

Tuyet's family is Vietnamese-American. After making turkey-themed crafts at school, she's more than a little disappointed that her family isn't planning on having a turkey's carcass on the table for their Thanksgiving dinner--but rather a duck's instead. She worries that her family is doing the holiday "wrong."

However, on the day after Thanksgiving, she hears about the wide variety of meals the other children's families ate on the holiday--from enchiladas to tofu turkey. Tuyet learns from her teacher that Thanksgiving isn't about what type of food you eat--it's about spending time with the people you love.

On one hand, it was nice to see the message that Thanksgiving isn't all about stuffing your face or "having" to eat a particular kind of food. Kids whose households have different traditions can certainly use the reassurance at a time of the year when the dominant American culture is bombarding them with talk about "Turkey Day." It's also nice to see a vegan Thanksgiving centerpiece get a nod in this otherwise quite meat-centered book.

At the same time, it's not really a book I would suggest for veg*n families. As the title suggests, a major focus of this book is buying, preparing, and consuming a duck, rather than a turkey. Going a bit deeper, turkey, duck, lamb, and tofurky are all presented as just food choices--no choice better than the others. The fact that the meat-based meals require someone's death isn't mentioned.

[Victoria]

Duck for Turkey Day is a story about how a young girl, Tuyet, struggles with not eating turkey with her family on Thanksgiving. Tuyet tries to convince her mother that they must eat turkey for dinner, but does not succeed. Her grandmother and cousins also seem to be excited rather than upset about eating duck on Thanksgiving. Tuyet ends up having a great Thanksgiving, enjoying her family's company and their traditional foods. When she returns to school, Tuyet is embarrassed to share with the class what her family ate for dinner on Thanksgiving, and begins to cry. She tells her teacher that her family did not have turkey for dinner, and is surprised to find out that many of her classmates did not have turkey either. Tuyet's teacher explains to the class that what they eat on Thanksgiving does not matter, as long as they share this day with their family and friends. This book can help children understand that there are many other people in America who have their own traditions and customs, and that everyone does not necessarily celebrate holidays in the same way. This book also helps students understand that no matter what they eat, the message of Thanksgiving is universal- it is a time to be thankful for the things in our lives, and a time to enjoy our family and friends.

[Josiahpa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Tuyet celebrates thanksgiving differently than most people. She is having duck for thanksgiving dinner instead of turkey. She feels ashamed about this and thinks that her teacher and friends will think she’s weird for this. The teacher ends up throwing a multicultural representation of thanksgiving and she figures out that thanksgiving will be great regardless of what meat she eats and that different people do holidays in different ways and that it is ok for her to be different. This book fits my topic because it focuses on adapting your own culture but not losing who you are. It also helps to point out that differences are ok and there isn’t just one way to do something. Americans all around are different and it is those differences are what makes this country great. This book’s genre is juvenile fiction. My opinion that it is developmentally appropriate to read because they would grasp the concepts quickly. I also feel like the book is quality because it very easy to read and gives students a look into another culture. It also provides a view of how other countries practice it as well.

[Annie Do · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book tells a story of a young girl and her frustrations in regards to her experience of two cultures. She learned in school that Americans eat turkey for Thanksgiving Day, but the influence of her Vietnamese culture back at home allows her to eat duck for Thanksgiving Day instead. She was upset and struggles to deal with the idea of having duck for dinner, and she ended up crying when her teacher asked her what she had for Thanksgiving dinner. The ending of the book wraps everything up by explaining that it did not matter what we eat during Thanksgiving - some of us had tofu chicken, enchiladas, and chicken noodle soup -, what matters is that we are thankful and we are spending time with our families during this holiday. The book's sense of acceptance of all culture values was great, however, according to "Guide to Selecting Anti-Bias children's Books by Louise Derman-Sparks, the book may have depicted bias towards Native Americans' perspectives on Thanksgiving Day. Additionally, there was a not an author's page for the readers to check on the author's background and perspectives on the subject-matter.

[Francis Camama · Rating 5 out of 5]

Having come from an Asian background and family, this book spoke so much to my experiences! I found myself feeling so sympathetic to how Tuyet felt. Feeling embarrassed that we didn't have a traditional thanksgiving I told my mom all about it but just like Tuyet I realized that it didn't matter what you ate. All that mattered was being with friends and family.

This book is wonderful way for children to truly see differences in how we celebrate holidays and also how we view holidays. For some, Thanksgiving is all about the Native Americans and Indians. For some, it's football time. For Tuyet's family and mine as well, it represented the American dream and how it was living in America despite cultural differences.

The art and message of the book was beautifully drawn and told. It really drives home how Tuyet felt so conflicted about turkey for thanksgiving but how she also felt so much love for the food and culture that she had. I would definitely use this book for a class about or around thanksgiving as it even shows at the end of the book the amount of diversity present and how we should all embrace our differences.

[Timmy Kao · Rating 5 out of 5]

The author of this story writes about a young girl named Tuyet who likes Thanksgiving but hates the way her family celebrates it by having duck. She talks about how Thanksgiving is supposed to be like in class with a turkey but thinks her parents do not understand. You can tell her frustration and sadness through the book because the illustrator does a great job at drawing in those facial expressions. When the day comes for everyone to share what they did for Thanksgiving and what had to eat, Tuyet cries out of embarrassment. She is embarrassed that she did not have normal Turkey and had a duck. But, her classmates all did not have turkey either and had other foods reflective of their own culture. I really liked this part of the story and think it would be good for young children because it introduces them to new foods from different cultures on the page and what the meal looks like. The genre of this book would be classified as a holiday book. I think children will be able to identify with this book as not every family eats turkey for thanksgiving and eats something different.

[Ally Gregory · Rating 4 out of 5]

Duck for Turkey Day by Jacqueline Jules is about a Vietnamese girl who feels as if she is different than the rest of her classmates because on Thanksgiving she has duck instead of turkey. She worries that she will be looked as weird and different. When her class has a Thanksgiving day celebration, she finds out that everyone is different and they all eat different things, she is not the only one who doesn't eat turkey. But at the end of the day they all have something in common and that is family. This book sends a positive message to your kids that not everyone has the same culture and traditions., it teaches kids to be kind to all and not to stereotype others. My favorite part of this book was the message it sends because I believe that stereotyping is a very important issue that needs to be addressed in the world today. The illustrations were good too, however you can tell this is an older book by the illustrations. They are detailed in the way the people are depicted and the drawing is more old-fashioned rather than modern.

[stinky · Rating 5 out of 5]

Tuyet’s Vietnamese-American family is having duck for Thanksgiving, and Tuyet’s not too happy about it since it’s not turkey. While she wants to be respectful of her family culture, she fears what others will think of her at school. It’s a sweet story about acceptance and cultural differences.

ANALYSIS
Readers can identify with Tuyet when she feels insecure about how different her family does Thanksgiving. When Tuyet confesses that her family had duck, the whole class lists food that they had instead of turkey: chicken and noodles, roast beef, tofu turkey, and more. It reminds us that as Americans, we come from different backgrounds, and that no family does things one way. Tuyet learns that the most important part of Thanksgiving is her family and that her traditions can coexist with American traditions. The illustration uses soft colors and details in shading. Many times, the pictures takes up the entirety of the page. The book is rectangular and vertical, and the texts are placed in paragraphs and are located usually at the bottom or top of the pages.

[Angela · Rating 4 out of 5]

The protagonist of this story, Tuyet, experiences a cultural clash around Thanksgiving. Her teacher uses the term "Turkey Day" to describe the holiday, which upsets Tuyet, as her family eats duck instead of turkey. This seems blasphemous to her, and she tries to convince her family members that turkey is an important part of the day, and should therefore be consumed instead of duck. She is ultimately unsuccessful and ends up eating and enjoying the duck served on Thanksgiving. Upon returning to school, she realizes that what you eat on Thanksgiving is not important, especially after hearing that her fellow classmates had very diverse meals as well that did not necessarily include Turkey.

This book can be used in the classroom to teach students how to embrace diverse cultures, particularly their own.

[Priscilla Johnson · Rating 5 out of 5]

In this story a little girl celebrates Thanksgiving with the hope of having turkey for dinner. Her Thanksgiving dreams are crushed when her family wants to eat duck on Thanksgiving instead of turkey. When she returns to school she is nervous to tell the class she didn’t have turkey on Thanksgiving. She learns from her classmates and teacher that looks different in every home because of all the different traditions families have.

This is a WOW book for me because it teaches our students about cultural differences when others celebrate American holidays. It allows teachers to integrate social studies curriculum with reading curriculum in a read aloud. It’s also a great story to teach students ways to respect other families’ traditions. I feel this text would be great to teach story elements in 1st or 2nd grade.

[Christine Turner]

It's almost Thanksgiving, and Tuyet is excited about the holiday and the vacation from school. There's just one problem: her Vietnamese American family is having duck for Thanksgiving dinner - not turkey! Nobody has duck for Thanksgiving - what will her teacher and the other kids think? To her surprise, Tuyet enjoys her yummy thanksgiving dinner anyhow - and an even bigger surprise is waiting for her at school on Monday. Dinners from roast beef to lamb to enchiladas adorned the Thanksgiving tables of her classmates, but they all had something in common - family! Kids from families with different traditions will enjoy this warm story about "the right way" to celebrate an American holiday.
Subject: Thanksgiving Day -- Juvenile fiction
Vietnamese Americans -- Juvenile fiction.
Schools -- Juvenile fiction

[Kayla Quinn · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book can teach children that it is okay to not have turkey on Thanksgiving. The little girl in the story was from Vietnam, and they do not have turkey, they had duck. She was upset because she didn't know why she had duck instead. In the end the lesson was it does not matter what you have on Thanksgiving, just as long as your with friends and family. Children who may not understand why others from different cultures may not have the same types of foods on holidays need to read this book. Or, children of different cultures who may not understand should read this book as well. Children should also read this book because it shows how different people from other cultures live, and how they eat.

[Cathy · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's almost Thanksgiving, and Tuyet is excited about the holiday and the vacation from school. There's just one problem: her Vietnamese American family is having duck for Thanksgiving dinner - not turkey! Nobody has duck for Thanksgiving - what will her teacher and the other kids think? To her surprise, Tuyet enjoys her yummy thanksgiving dinner anyhow - and an even bigger surprise is waiting for her at school on Monday. Dinners from roast beef to lamb to enchiladas adorned the Thanksgiving tables of her classmates, but they all had something in common - family! Multiculturism emphasis as kids from families with different traditions will enjoy this warm story about "the right way" to celebrate an American holiday.

[Hannah McGee · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely loved this book! In fact, I plan on buying it later on in life. It has a wonderful story on spending Thanksgiving with family for all kinds of different cultures. If I used this book in my future classroom, I would use this book to teach 1st- 3rd Graders about how Thanksgiving is different for everyone of all cultures and backgrounds. The story would be useful in my class as I would most likely have multiple cultural backgrounds for my students. Also this book is great for higher level thinking and critical thinking as well. I could ask my class to explain what the story said in their own words or I could have them illustrate for me what they have for Thanksgiving dinner, show them to the class, and have them explain why they have that for Thanksgiving.

[Sydney Ossege · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think that this book is a very clever way of showing the differences to teachers that are brought into a classroom. For this example, a little girl and her family are Vietnamese and do not celebrate Thanksgiving in the way that is traditional. Instead of a turkey, they have a duck. This is very scary to the girl, because she does not hear anyone else saying something different they are having but a turkey. She is excited for the break, but does not want to be different. however, the teacher realizes this and with the help of the family on the Monday that they return they have a thanksgiving meal that incorporates all different types of meat and includes all. This helps the classroom come together and I believe it is a great story that can be shared within a classroom.

[Jackie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Tuyet learns a valuable lesson after she is sad that her Vietnamese family only has duck on Thanksgiving Day. She is sure that families must have turkey in America to celebrate the big day, after all, she learned all about the traditions in school.

But when Mrs. Cook, her teacher, asks everyone how Turkey Day was, Tuyet is surprised to learn that many of her classmates celebrated with their own traditional foods too...and she comes to realize that giving thanks is not about what types of foods you eat, but how a family celebrates with togetherness on the big day.

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