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'Twas The Night Before Thanksgiving
From Dav Pilkey, creator of the New York Times bestselling Dog Man and Captain Underpants series, comes a tall tale of tall-tailed toms! On the night before Thanksgiving, a group of children visit a turkey farm and meet Farmer Mack Nuggett and his coop of Ollie, Stanley, Larry, Moe, Wally, Beaver, Shemp, and Groucho. The children and turkeys giggle and gobble, and everything is gravy. As the trip comes to an end, the children leave the farm with full hearts -- and bulging bellies -- reminding people and poultry alike that there is much to be thankful for.
32 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1990
29 people are currently reading
1486 people want to read
About the author
Dav Pilkey
413 books3,329 followersDavid "Dav" Pilkey (b. March 4, 1966), is a popular children's author and artist. Pilkey is best known as the author and illustrator of the Captain Underpants book series. He lives near Seattle, Washington with his wife, Sayuri.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 304 reviews
November 17, 2018
Our family was rolling in the floor or literally the bed reading this.
I wondered who Dav Pilkey was and he is the guy who writes 'Captain Underpants' a favorite of my nephew. He might grow up to be a comedian so he has a wicked sense of humor.
The school, in it's wisdom, takes the kids to a turkey farm where they bond and then learn the turkeys will die that night. It really is funny or we were in a funny mood that night, one or the other. It's also told in a lovely rhyme. Poor farmer MacNugget, he didn't know what hit him.
This is at the top of the Best of Thanksgiving picture book list and I'm glad we read this little book. At least it's a different story.
I wondered who Dav Pilkey was and he is the guy who writes 'Captain Underpants' a favorite of my nephew. He might grow up to be a comedian so he has a wicked sense of humor.
The school, in it's wisdom, takes the kids to a turkey farm where they bond and then learn the turkeys will die that night. It really is funny or we were in a funny mood that night, one or the other. It's also told in a lovely rhyme. Poor farmer MacNugget, he didn't know what hit him.
This is at the top of the Best of Thanksgiving picture book list and I'm glad we read this little book. At least it's a different story.
October 13, 2020
Neo read this book to me on our way home today. We missed the official Thanksgiving read, but it's a season, right?
All he wants me to say is that it is a funny story that is all about 'The Night Before' theme usually used in a Christmas story. It's funny and one that kids can laugh about, while adults shake their heads.
With great pictures for you Dog Man and The Adventures of Captain Underpants fans, it reads really quickly (especially for a kid in Grade Four).
That's it!
All he wants me to say is that it is a funny story that is all about 'The Night Before' theme usually used in a Christmas story. It's funny and one that kids can laugh about, while adults shake their heads.
With great pictures for you Dog Man and The Adventures of Captain Underpants fans, it reads really quickly (especially for a kid in Grade Four).
That's it!
August 7, 2010
Dav Pilkey, of Captain Underpants fame, has written this story poem so that it reads like and reminds readers of Clement Clarke Moore's The Night Before Christmas, This is one of his early books, his third book published.
This is a funny and heartfelt story of 8 children saving 8 turkeys, all ending up guests at their family’s apparently vegan Thanksgiving dinners. I appreciated that the kids were a multicultural bunch.
The poem has some hiccups but it’s still fun and enjoyable to read aloud.
The illustrations aren’t amazing, but they’re colorful and engaging, and a few are very amusing, and I think they’re fun.
Yes, the story is didactic, but it’s done with humor and heart, and I enjoyed it.
I would recommend this book for vegan and vegetarian children and families. I’d recommend it for all children but I can just imagine the parents in omnivorous families getting pestered by (some of) their kids after they’re read/listened to this book. Kids often care deeply about animals and this book might give them ideas.
August was a wonderful time for me to read this: no wait at the library and no Thanksgiving blues.
This is a funny and heartfelt story of 8 children saving 8 turkeys, all ending up guests at their family’s apparently vegan Thanksgiving dinners. I appreciated that the kids were a multicultural bunch.
The poem has some hiccups but it’s still fun and enjoyable to read aloud.
The illustrations aren’t amazing, but they’re colorful and engaging, and a few are very amusing, and I think they’re fun.
Yes, the story is didactic, but it’s done with humor and heart, and I enjoyed it.
I would recommend this book for vegan and vegetarian children and families. I’d recommend it for all children but I can just imagine the parents in omnivorous families getting pestered by (some of) their kids after they’re read/listened to this book. Kids often care deeply about animals and this book might give them ideas.
August was a wonderful time for me to read this: no wait at the library and no Thanksgiving blues.
November 18, 2016
Farmer Mack Nuggett.
Hee-hee-hee!
Hee-hee-hee!
October 15, 2018
I did enjoy this, but I can see non-vegetarian parents being worried reading this the night before a Thanksgiving feast. I would recommend this book for kids who are already aware that meat comes from living animals (and there are some people who avoid eating it for that reason) to avoid a last minute temper tantrum with no way to provide the child a decent vegetarian feast.
November 10, 2016
Extremely cute and creative! My students really enjoyed this book :)
November 24, 2016
“Usually, turkeys don’t celebrate Thanksgiving. They’d rather forget about it. And they’d rather we forgot, too.
This tall-tailed tall tale tells how eight school children on a field trip, their teacher, a turkey farmer named Mack Nugget and gobblers Ollie, Stanley, Larry, Moe, Wally, Beaver, Shemp, and Groucho share in a Thanksgiving all can remember vividly.”
I thought this was a really cute read. I liked the dedication quote from Vincent Van Gogh: “And what is done with love is well done.”
The only thing I could have done without is the theme to Twas the Night Before Christmas. Patterning a book after that poem is really overused and I would have appreciated an original rhyme more than just using somebody else’s, especially when the words weren’t changed and were copied directly from the poem. “When what with their wondering eyes should they see” was too close to “when what to my wondering eyes should appear.” “And then in a twinkling.” “There arose such a clatter.”
The school bus doing a wheely was a comic touch. When they arrived to Farmer Nuggett’s farm, it was cute how the kids were all at the window, with their noses hanging over the edge. The farmer had 8 turkeys which was perfectly suited for Thanksgiving. It was weird to say “more rapid than chickens his cockerels they came.” Because cockerels means male chickens, so turkeys are definitely not cockerels, and he already said they were faster than chickens anyway. I don’t know why he didn’t just call them turkeys. I also didn’t like any of their names and wish they would have had names suited for turkeys. Ollie, Stanley, Larry, Moe, Wally, Beaver, Shemp and Groucho. So not suited for turkeys, and I’m surprised Curly wasn’t one since Larry and Moe were.
I like the line “And they greeted the children with downy embraces.” All of the kids were hugging a turkey. That was cute to see all of them embracing and smiling, and I think kids would think it’s cool to see kids hugging turkeys.
“And they gobbled and giggled as friends sometimes do.” They were all running around. Then one of the kids found an ax and asked what it was for. It was neat how the teacher was standing beside the farmer, who was holding a pitchfork, in front of the house, like that famous painting of the farming couple.
The farmer said that tonight the turkeys would be chopped up and roasting for Thanksgiving, which was a really gruesome thing to tell kids. But it was so cute how all of the kids looked shocked and horrified. Some were crying as they held on to their turkeys, which was so sweet. Even the turkeys were shocked and crying at the news, and the teacher had her hands pressed to her face like she didn’t know what to do.
It was kind of senseless how the farmer cried oh dear, now what shall I do? Because anyone should know not to tell kids animals are going to be chopped up and cooked for dinner. So wrong! He and the teacher run to the top of the hill and pump water, hoping a swig would calm everyone down. And oh so cute when they come back with cups.
“And when they returned to quite the matter, the children were calmer (and mysteriously fatter!). Each kid had stuffed a turkey up their shirts, such a cute idea to get those turkeys out of there. You could see feathers peeking out of the bottom and their feet. They drank the water and then waddled away.
“They limping to the school bus all huffing and puffing—it’s not easy to walk with hot turkey stuffing.”
The kids rode back on a bus full of love with their turkeys, brought them home for dinner, and their families had veggies, jelly and toast, which sounded like a pitiful feast. Seems like they would have had something besides jelly and toast to eat. The turkeys were the ones that were most thankful.
A cute, sweet take on Thanksgiving and saving turkeys’ lives. It had a happy ending and I like that it’s such a different story. I’ve never read a book where the turkeys don’t end up on the dinner table so this was refreshing.
This tall-tailed tall tale tells how eight school children on a field trip, their teacher, a turkey farmer named Mack Nugget and gobblers Ollie, Stanley, Larry, Moe, Wally, Beaver, Shemp, and Groucho share in a Thanksgiving all can remember vividly.”
I thought this was a really cute read. I liked the dedication quote from Vincent Van Gogh: “And what is done with love is well done.”
The only thing I could have done without is the theme to Twas the Night Before Christmas. Patterning a book after that poem is really overused and I would have appreciated an original rhyme more than just using somebody else’s, especially when the words weren’t changed and were copied directly from the poem. “When what with their wondering eyes should they see” was too close to “when what to my wondering eyes should appear.” “And then in a twinkling.” “There arose such a clatter.”
The school bus doing a wheely was a comic touch. When they arrived to Farmer Nuggett’s farm, it was cute how the kids were all at the window, with their noses hanging over the edge. The farmer had 8 turkeys which was perfectly suited for Thanksgiving. It was weird to say “more rapid than chickens his cockerels they came.” Because cockerels means male chickens, so turkeys are definitely not cockerels, and he already said they were faster than chickens anyway. I don’t know why he didn’t just call them turkeys. I also didn’t like any of their names and wish they would have had names suited for turkeys. Ollie, Stanley, Larry, Moe, Wally, Beaver, Shemp and Groucho. So not suited for turkeys, and I’m surprised Curly wasn’t one since Larry and Moe were.
I like the line “And they greeted the children with downy embraces.” All of the kids were hugging a turkey. That was cute to see all of them embracing and smiling, and I think kids would think it’s cool to see kids hugging turkeys.
“And they gobbled and giggled as friends sometimes do.” They were all running around. Then one of the kids found an ax and asked what it was for. It was neat how the teacher was standing beside the farmer, who was holding a pitchfork, in front of the house, like that famous painting of the farming couple.
The farmer said that tonight the turkeys would be chopped up and roasting for Thanksgiving, which was a really gruesome thing to tell kids. But it was so cute how all of the kids looked shocked and horrified. Some were crying as they held on to their turkeys, which was so sweet. Even the turkeys were shocked and crying at the news, and the teacher had her hands pressed to her face like she didn’t know what to do.
It was kind of senseless how the farmer cried oh dear, now what shall I do? Because anyone should know not to tell kids animals are going to be chopped up and cooked for dinner. So wrong! He and the teacher run to the top of the hill and pump water, hoping a swig would calm everyone down. And oh so cute when they come back with cups.
“And when they returned to quite the matter, the children were calmer (and mysteriously fatter!). Each kid had stuffed a turkey up their shirts, such a cute idea to get those turkeys out of there. You could see feathers peeking out of the bottom and their feet. They drank the water and then waddled away.
“They limping to the school bus all huffing and puffing—it’s not easy to walk with hot turkey stuffing.”
The kids rode back on a bus full of love with their turkeys, brought them home for dinner, and their families had veggies, jelly and toast, which sounded like a pitiful feast. Seems like they would have had something besides jelly and toast to eat. The turkeys were the ones that were most thankful.
A cute, sweet take on Thanksgiving and saving turkeys’ lives. It had a happy ending and I like that it’s such a different story. I’ve never read a book where the turkeys don’t end up on the dinner table so this was refreshing.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 7, 2011
’Twas the Night Before Thanksgiving is all kinds of awesome, and every humane household should get a copy for their holiday favorites.
The story-poem is based up that universal chestnut, ’Twas the Night Before Christmas. However, instead of Santa Claus and reindeer this story focuses upon a school bus full of children and their pre-Thanksgiving field trip to visit Farmer Mack Nugget (uh-oh) and his flock of turkeys (double uh-oh). When the farmer announces his plan for the birds come Thanksgiving, the kids aren’t just shocked—they’re determined! In a funny and sweet twist, the turkeys mysteriously disappear from Mack Nugget’s pen—and all the children’s families get feathered guests for their holiday dinners.
Rest assured, all of the kids’ families are understanding and empathetic, because they decide that turkeys are much cooler alive:
The very next evening,
Eight families were blessed
With eight fluffy Thanksgiving turkeys as guests.
They feasted on veggies
With jelly and toast,
And everyone was thankful
--(The turkeys were most!)
Fantastic! So not only do we have the message that turkeys definitely have an interest in living—we also get the idea that traditions can change, and Thanksgiving is about family, friends, and love—NOT about stuffing your face with turkey meat.
The final page sums it all up so nicely:
So each one gave thanks,
For love and for living
And they all had a wonderful
Blessed Thanksgiving.
How wonderful if we could all evolve our holiday traditions to embrace kindness and compassion toward all living beings.
The story-poem is based up that universal chestnut, ’Twas the Night Before Christmas. However, instead of Santa Claus and reindeer this story focuses upon a school bus full of children and their pre-Thanksgiving field trip to visit Farmer Mack Nugget (uh-oh) and his flock of turkeys (double uh-oh). When the farmer announces his plan for the birds come Thanksgiving, the kids aren’t just shocked—they’re determined! In a funny and sweet twist, the turkeys mysteriously disappear from Mack Nugget’s pen—and all the children’s families get feathered guests for their holiday dinners.
Rest assured, all of the kids’ families are understanding and empathetic, because they decide that turkeys are much cooler alive:
The very next evening,
Eight families were blessed
With eight fluffy Thanksgiving turkeys as guests.
They feasted on veggies
With jelly and toast,
And everyone was thankful
--(The turkeys were most!)
Fantastic! So not only do we have the message that turkeys definitely have an interest in living—we also get the idea that traditions can change, and Thanksgiving is about family, friends, and love—NOT about stuffing your face with turkey meat.
The final page sums it all up so nicely:
So each one gave thanks,
For love and for living
And they all had a wonderful
Blessed Thanksgiving.
How wonderful if we could all evolve our holiday traditions to embrace kindness and compassion toward all living beings.
November 23, 2015
A clever tale written by Dan Pilkey (author and illustrator of Captain Underpants). Warning / this is a way to put your children off eating their turkey for thanksgiving! Nice illustrations and clever words!
November 28, 2016
Don't read this book if you're planning on eating turkey for Thanksgiving! Our crazy ex-children's librarian used to read this every year and I'm surprised there aren't more traumatized kids running around our town come November. lol
November 17, 2011
The lovely and talented Mrs. Alberts read this out loud to our fourth graders (and me!). Super cute.
October 9, 2018
'Twas The Night Before Thanksgiving is a children's picture book written and illustrated by Dav Pilkey. It is a book about a class trip to a turkey farm on the day before Thanksgiving. Today, at least in my part of the world, is Thanksgiving and I thought it would be apropos to read this book.
The text is simplistic and lyrical. It is written in the style of "The Night Before Christmas". The poem was written especially well and follows the rhythm and style of the original poem extremely well. The illustrations are wonderfully depicted and enhance the text rather well.
The premise of the book is rather straightforward. It follows a class trip to the local turkey farm. At first the children loved playing with the turkeys, until a student asked what the shiny ax by the door is for. After hearing that they were to be slaughtered for Thanksgiving dinner, they cried and rescued the turkeys from the farm.
All in all, 'Twas The Night Before Thanksgiving is a wonderful children's book done in the style of "The Night Before Christmas". However, it does talk about the death of turkeys, so if one's child is sensitive about death, please be forewarned.
The text is simplistic and lyrical. It is written in the style of "The Night Before Christmas". The poem was written especially well and follows the rhythm and style of the original poem extremely well. The illustrations are wonderfully depicted and enhance the text rather well.
The premise of the book is rather straightforward. It follows a class trip to the local turkey farm. At first the children loved playing with the turkeys, until a student asked what the shiny ax by the door is for. After hearing that they were to be slaughtered for Thanksgiving dinner, they cried and rescued the turkeys from the farm.
All in all, 'Twas The Night Before Thanksgiving is a wonderful children's book done in the style of "The Night Before Christmas". However, it does talk about the death of turkeys, so if one's child is sensitive about death, please be forewarned.
November 4, 2022
A funny version of the timeless Christmas poem ... just be prepared that in this story the turkeys don't get eaten on Thanksgiving!
For the sweet and sentimental version, follow this link: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Ages: 3 - 6
Cleanliness: nothing to note.
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For the sweet and sentimental version, follow this link: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Ages: 3 - 6
Cleanliness: nothing to note.
**Like my reviews? Then you should follow me! Because I have hundreds more just like this one. With each review, I provide a Cleanliness Report, mentioning any objectionable content I come across so that parents and/or conscientious readers (like me) can determine beforehand whether they want to read a book or not. Content surprises are super annoying, especially when you’re 100+ pages in, so here’s my attempt to help you avoid that!
So Follow or Friend me here on GoodReads! And be sure to check out my bio page to learn a little about me and the Picture Book/Chapter Book Calendars I sell on Etsy!
November 22, 2017
A wonderfully hilarious tale of school children who take a field trip to a turkey farm. They're having great fun when one child notices the ax. When asked what it was for the farmer explained. The horrified children begin to cry. As the farmer runs to get water to calm everyone down, the barnyard becomes strangely quiet. When he returns from the well the children are suspiciously fatter. It's not until the children have left that he finally realizes that all the turkey's are gone.
Thanksgiving dinners at the homes of the children is festive this year with the presence of a turkey. And he's not the main course!
The rhyme, which follows the "Night Before Christmas" pattern very closely, is sometimes clumsy. Practice before a storytime reading.
Thanksgiving dinners at the homes of the children is festive this year with the presence of a turkey. And he's not the main course!
The rhyme, which follows the "Night Before Christmas" pattern very closely, is sometimes clumsy. Practice before a storytime reading.
November 14, 2018
Twas The Night Before Thanksgiving is on my favorite shelf because it tells a story that thanksgiving is not about having a turkey for dinner, it's rather about giving thanks and love for the living. The book is based off of the Christmas poem and has the cutest illustrations ever, full of color and so much detail.
In the reading classroom, teachers could read this story before thanksgiving, giving students a cultural experience and also allowing students to see that you can have thanksgiving and not eat turkey! This could lead to a fun discussion about what families eat on thanksgiving as well.
In the reading classroom, teachers could read this story before thanksgiving, giving students a cultural experience and also allowing students to see that you can have thanksgiving and not eat turkey! This could lead to a fun discussion about what families eat on thanksgiving as well.
November 18, 2022
I have a string of Thanksgiving books that I read to my daughter and my second graders. These will be quick reviews based on the reactions of my daughter and students. I put the date the same for each book, but I really read them in the week leading up to Thanksgiving, and on Thanksgiving Day. Under the how many times I've read it category, that will be how many Thanksgivings I've used this book.
This is a Thanksgiving classic. A must read.
This is a Thanksgiving classic. A must read.
October 11, 2017
On a trip to the library when I only had one baby, we picked up a bunch of holiday books. After reading a handful, I was feeling dumbfounded at the myriad of idiot books that had somehow been published. Then I read this little gem and all was well in the world again! My dad gave me a signed copy for Christmas that year because I'd fallen so in love with it.
November 21, 2017
What a heart warming book about a class of students with big hearts. When they visit a turkey farm during a class field trip and learn what will happen to the turkeys on Thanksgiving they come up with a sneaky plan. This book teaches students to have big hearts and consider the feels of all living life forms, including turkeys on Thanksgiving.
January 8, 2018
Well done twist on the Christmas classic for the Thanksgiving holiday. My boys, ages 9 and 10, thought the story was hilarious. The part about what the farmer was going to do to the turkey's in the evening caught me off guard but I think it was done in fun. I didn't love the illustrations as I thought they were a bit messy but overall a fun read.
June 27, 2022
A Thanksgiving poem in the rhythm of “‘Twas the Night Before Christmas” by the author of the Captain Underpants series. This is a fun one to read out loud, and has cute illustrations. Would be a great classroom or bedtime read for November. Though you may have a tough time getting kids to eat their Thanksgiving turkey after.
October 22, 2018
Cute story with humorous and colorful illustrations. A field trip to a turkey farm right before Thanksgiving proves terrifying for the children when they learn the birds are to be slaughtered. They quickly devise a plan to save the turkeys - and eight fluffy birds are the guests of honor in their homes the next day.
November 23, 2016
It's a cute parody on, 'Twas the Night Before Christmas. However, when they say the girl found the axe and the farmer told her what it was for, I found this a little startling. I'm not sure I would read this to lower elementary b/c I wouldn't want to answer their questions.
November 17, 2017
11/17/2017 ** I especially enjoyed the inside jokes for adults: illustrations paying homage to American Gothic and Van Gogh; a line reminiscent of Charlotte's Web; the turkeys' names, etc.
My primary students loved loved talking about the farmer and the children's heist.
My primary students loved loved talking about the farmer and the children's heist.
November 17, 2017
Children go on a field trip to a turkey farm and after playing and laughing they learn that the turkeys won't live to see tomorrow. So they carry out a plan to save the turkeys! Fun rhymes and descriptive words in the classic rhythm of Twas the Night Before Christmas.
October 9, 2018
Kids go to the turkey farm and end up smuggling out the turkeys. The part where they explain that they're going to chop up the turkeys was a little macabre (how do you avoid that?), but otherwise I like the cadence of the rhymes
September 27, 2017
A neat take from The Night Before Christmas. It's a funny story about the day before Thanksgiving and school children going to a turkey farm.
October 31, 2017
This is one of my favorite all-time books for reading to kids- it is humorous and hysterical and I can read it over and over and not get bored. So fun to gift to kids as well. A great book!
November 15, 2017
So funny!
November 24, 2017
Not as intriguing as the original and it in no way lives up to its predecessor...
November 29, 2017
Cute and fun with a nice twist.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 304 reviews