The Shows Must Go On

What are the odds of there being not one, not two, but three beginning-reader books that deal with the problem of being cast as the turkey in a Thanksgiving Day play? Each book gives its own unique twist to this unusual situation.

Arthur's Thanksgiving by Marc Brown puts the lovable aardvark in the director's chair for his class's Thanksgiving play. His dilemma? He can't find anyone interested in being the turkey. His friends want starring roles, and even family members turn him down. What's an aardvark to do? Like all great directors, he knows the show must go on, so he dons the turkey costume and steps on stage. Bravo, Arthur!

Mark, the second-grader in I Am a Turkey by Michele Sobel Spirn, is glad he landed the role of the turkey--that is until his big brother tells him how the play ends. Now that he knows he'll be the Pilgrim's main course, he's dreading the big day. But when a Pilgrim forgets his lines, Mark forgets his stage fright and comes through with flying colors.

Thanksgiving Turkey Trouble, a 96-page early chapter book by Abby Klein, features Freddy Thresher, a first-grader who is stuck with the one part in the class play that nobody wants. You guessed it--he's the turkey. Freddy now has to find a way to play the part and keep his dignity intact.