Denice 001Thanksgiving is just around the corner, so it’s the perfect time to curl up with a child you like and read Duck for Turkey Day by Jacqueline Jules (Albert Whitman & Company, 2009).

That’s just what I did with an awesome class of second-graders. The book is a great, multicultural look at what makes Thanksgiving the same — and different — for various families. It features Tuyet, a Vietnamese girl, who worries her family’s Thanksgiving celebration is wrong.

After I was done, Denice volunteered to review the book for Read, Write, Repeat. Here’s what she had to say:

Reviewer: Denice, age 8

I like: Drawing pictures, reading books, jumping rope and playing with my friend, Sonia.

This book was about: A girl whose mom tells her that they are going to eat duck on Thanksgiving. But the girl’s teacher calls Thanksgiving “Turkey Day.”  Then, the girl’s grandma comes, and they go to the market. They see a lot of food, but they don’t see a turkey.

I was worried when: She said her family ate duck for Thanksgiving, and all the kids in her class were quiet.

I was surprised when: All the kids in her class ate different things for Thanksgiving.

The best part was when: She told her mom that their Thanksgiving could be called Duck Day instead of Turkey Day.

The book taught me: When it’s a holiday, we don’t have to do the same things to celebrate. We can do different things.

Three words that best describe this book are: Thanksgiving, turkey and duck.

Other kids reading this book should know: Thanksgiving isn’t just eating turkey. You can eat all sorts of things.

My favorite line or phrase in the book is: “After school, Tuyet hurried home. “Mama!” she called when she opened the door. “I have a new name for Thanksgiving. In our house, we can call it Duck Day!”

Want to see more of the book? Check out the book trailer on YouTube. Or visit Jacqueline Jules’ Web site. She’s got information on her many other books and lots of fun stuff.

To learn more about Kathryn Mitter’s artwork, check out this site.

Oh, and enjoy your Thanksgiving — no matter what you eat!