Gracias: The Thanksgiving Turkey was written by Joy Cowley and illustrated by Joe Cepeda. It was published by Scholastic Inc. in 1998 and is recommended for second grade.
This culturally diverse book is about a boy named Miguel getting a turkey as a present from his father to fatten up for Thanksgiving. Miguel names the turkey Gracias, and they become good friends. Instead of becoming Thanksgiving dinner, Gracias becomes Miguel's pet, and the family ends up eating chicken for dinner. Miguel also gets another surprise at the end.
Gracias The Thanksgiving Turkey is good multicultural literature because there is no stereotyping of the Hispanic family in this story. The main character could have been traded out with a Caucasian boy, and the story would've been exactly the same. However, there are Spanish words used throughout the book that are authentic to their heritage. A glossary in the back of the book translates those words into English. All of the cultural details, including their language and talk of moving to America, are naturally integrated within the story using a modern perspective. This book will help children of this heritage feel included in literature, and it will help children with other backgrounds understand other heritages.
Cepeda's oil paintings enhance the story and reflect the tone of the story with a folk art feel.
Gracias, the pet turkey in the story, becomes Miguel's best friend and does some pretty crazy things to be a turkey. He went to church with Miguel and went for walks on a leash. Have the students write about their pet or imaginary pet and some crazy things that they have done. They should include details, describe actions, thoughts, and feelings, and use temporal words to put events in order.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.2.3
Write narratives in which they recount a well-elaborated event or short sequence of events, include details to describe actions, thoughts, and feelings, use temporal words to signal event order, and provide a sense of closure.
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