The Turkey's Side of It: Adam Joshua's Thanksgiving

The Adam Joshua Capers

by Janice Lee Smith, Dick Gackenbach (Illustrator), Laura Godwin

Disappointed at being cast as a turkey in the school Thanksgiving play, Adam Joshua figures out a way to make the best of it.

Genres: Childrens

56 pages, Hardcover

First published December 31, 1974

About the author

She lives and plays in Colorado with her husband, Jim, and their dogs Rosie and Bailey.

Honors/Awards:
Bread Loaf Writer's Conference scholarship, 1981, and fellowship, 1982
Named among the Outstanding Young Women of America, 1981
Indiana Arts Commission/National Endowment for the Arts master arts fellowship grant, 1984, for The Show-and-Tell War, and for The Kid Next Door and Other Headaches: Stories about Adam Joshua
The Kid Next Door and Other Headaches was selected an International Reading Association Children's Choice, 1985
Addi Award, 1987, for advertising booklet

Reviews

[Cheryl · Rating 1 out of 5]

dnf Feb. 2022
Turns out to be horrible history. What a waste of school time to teach the kids absolutely nothing about the first thanksgiving or about relations with the Native people. I'm so sorry I gave it a circulation count from the library.

[Julie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Be aware there is an offensive depiction of indigenous people, mostly concentrated in Chapter One, although it occurs throughout. Along with written descriptions, there is an illustration of the main character “war whooping” with a painted face (red stripes made with lipstick) and head dress.

This is otherwise a quick and silly seasonal story about children subjugated to an egomaniacal teacher who goes out of her way publicly humiliate the children in her care. Think a racist version of The Best Christmas Pageant Ever.

[Kari · Rating 4 out of 5]

A silly short read aloud chapter book about being the lead in the Thanksgiving play...and ending up as the Turkey...