Over the River

September 26, 2005
A top-hatted father turkey, his bonnet-wearing wife and their bespectacled chick, clutching a pilgrim doll, set out for Grandmother's house in Anderson's (Little Quack
) rendition of Child's song. The feathered family meets a horse who literally "carr the sleigh" up a snowy hill while they stick to the road and encounter a predatory dog. The expressions on the fleeing fowls are priceless, as are other comical touches, but the hound's change of heart seems sudden, so that the final scene of turkeys, hound and horse sharing a bounteous meal, sounds a false note. All ages.

October 1, 2005
PreS-Gr 3 -Anderson's amusing acrylic artwork provides a new twist on a favorite holiday song. The book contains the familiar lyrics, but the illustrations show that in this version, it's a turkey family on the way to Grandma's house. As a young bird carrying a Pilgrim doll and his parents walk through the snowy woods, they meet a horse that -knows the way/to carry the sleigh - and does so -literally, trotting up a hill with a sled tucked under one arm. Meanwhile, a young hunter and a barely ferocious-looking hound are going over their plan to catch a gobbler for dinner. They give chase as the birds come into view, but an odd scarecrow (the turkeys in disguise) temporarily stops the pursuers in their tracks. Then the horse screeches downhill on the sled right into the middle of everything, and the pie is ruined. But, this is Thanksgiving, after all, and everyone sits down for a nice meal -except for the boy, who is still outside hunting down his hunting hound. This is a fun, humorous addition to Thanksgiving collections. Children will enjoy looking at the entertaining illustrations and comparing the chaos pictured there to the words of the old song. The lyrics and music are included on the endpapers." -Roxanne Burg, Orange County Public Library, CA"

Copyright 2005 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

September 15, 2005
PreS-K Here's a turkey's take on Lydia Maria Child's old song about traveling over the river and through the woods to grandmother's house. Little Tom Turkey, clutching his Pilgrim doll, sets out with his mom and dad on Thanksgiving. The subsequent action follows the song, but with several added twists and turns. As the words to the familiar song loop across the pages, the pictures tell a story of their own, making it clear that the boy and his large, toothsome hound that appear in the wood are intent on having turkey for dinner. Anderson's eye-popping acrylic pictures, big and vibrant enough for group sharing, give immediacy to the ensuing chase, which resolves itself in a dramatic pileup with a friendly Thanksgiving feast with dog biscuits and vegetables, not turkey, on the menu. The music is on the endpapers, handy for a sing- or play-along.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2005, American Library Association.)