Rating: WORTHY!
Being a foreigner, I've lived in the US with three strikes against me at Thanksgiving. It never was a tradition in England, where I grew up, so it never was a tradition for me. I was three thousand miles from my family (who didn't celebrate it anyway!), so it was hardly possibly to drive over and spend the day, and I am a vegetarian, so the idea of eating Turkey was as disgusting as having to sit with other people who were eating it. No one got this. While none of the palaver surrounding Thanksgiving impinged on me at all, there were those who sought to force it upon my against my will. It was annoying when friends rather rudely insisted that I must participate on this family occasion, and overbearingly insisted that I join them. I felt annoyed, even angry at times, when I would rather be doing something else. Rather than hurt their feelings or make them think I was anti-social I would join them, but soon learned to make excuses - lying that I had other plans, just so I could be alone with my pets and my movies and my books. England has a harvest festival, as I am sure many northern nations do, but it's nothing like Thanksgiving.
Now, of course I have my own family, who are all Americans, so I'm outnumbered and it would be churlish to fight it, so Thanksgiving has become a part of my life now. My family is liberal enough that it's no big deal (which is why they're my family and I love them!) so it's a fun occasion which does not suffer the stiff confines of stodgy and inhibiting tradition. Friendship and cooperation! That's why I wanted to read yet another Sally Huss book, which definitely set itself free from tradition in many ways while still holding to it in others. I'm not sure there's much educational value in this book, but there is a strong story of acceptance - and a vegetarian message! I'm not convinced that was the author's intention, but who knows?
The three main characters are a duck, called Duck, a goose named Goose, and a turkey named Beauregarde (I may have made that last name up). Duck traditionally eats goose for Thanksgiving (let's not get too naturally correct here), and Goose traditionally eats duck, so these two are definitely intent upon capturing each other, but as their doomed quest becomes evident, they make a pact to go after Turkey. Once again they fail, and all three becomes friends and decide on pumpkin pie. A great little story and a sweet (literally!) ending. It's a story of friendship and cooperation (so maybe I was wrong about the educational value!), and I recommend this one.
