Houston Family Book List - November 2009

Picture Books (Pre K-K)

Run, Turkey, Run! by Diane Mayr
The day before Thanksgiving, Turkey tries to disguise himself as the other animals to avoid being caught by the farmer and served for dinner.

One is a Feast for Mouse by Judy Cox
On Thanksgiving Day while everyone naps, Mouse spots one pea, a perfect feast, but he cannot help adding all of the fixings – until Cat spots him.

The Ugly Pumpkin by Dave Horowitz
A lonely, oddly-shaped pumpkin is sad that no one chose him for Halloween, but by Thanksgiving he has discovered where he belongs.

Early Readers (Grades 1-3)

Beauty and the Beaks: a Turkey’s Cautionary Tale by Mary Jane and Herm Auch
When Lance, a very pretentious turkey, arrives on the farm and boasts that he is the only bird invited to a special feast, no hen is impressed, but when Beauty learns that Lance is the main course, she convinces the others to save him.

Gooney Bird and the Room Mother by Lois Lowry
Gooney Bird Greene, an entertaining second grader, tells “absolutely true” stories and finds a surprise room mother to bring cupcakes for the Thanksgiving pageant, while introducing challenging vocabulary words.

The Peterkins’ Thanksgiving by Elizabeth Spurr
As the eccentric Peterkin family sits down to Thanksgiving dinner, they learn that their turkey and the rest of the food has become stuck in the dumbwaiter.

Children's Fiction (Grades 4-6)

Dr. Carbles is Losing His Marbles! by Dan Gutman
Tired of following the strict rules of their replacement principal, A.J. and his classmates try to find a way to bring back eccentric but lovable Principal Klutz, who was fired for bringing a wild turkey to the school’s Thanksgiving Day assembly.

Hoboken Chicken Emergency by Daniel Pinkwater
When Arthur Bobowicz is given the task of bringing home the family’s Thanksgiving turkey, he returns instead with Henrietta, a 266 pound chicken with a mind of her own.

Thanks for Nothing: From the Files of Madison Finn by Laura Dower
As twelve-year-old Madison struggles to decide which of her divorced parents to spend Thanksgiving with, she spends more and more time volunteering at the animal shelter and neglects her own dog.

Teen Fiction (Ages 12 & Up)

Last Chance Texaco by Brent Hartinger
Lucy Pitt, a troubled teen with no family, struggles to fit in as a new tenant in a last-chance foster home, just in time for the holidays.

Thanksgiving: the True Story by Penny Colman
Colman researched Thanksgiving through firsthand accounts, proclamations, magazine and newspaper articles, museum exhibits and interviews to find the story of the true first Thanksgiving.

Thanksgiving 101 by Rick Rodgers
As teens transition from setting the table to helping cook Thanksgiving dinner, this book offers foolproof recipes for making a feast while building cooking confidence.