The Turkeys Who Had A Happy Christmas

The Tired But Crafty Mummy
Christmas Book Club

The Turkeys Who Had A Happy Christmas

In the depths of winter, turkeys are hatching on the farm. By next Christmas, they will have grown and will be delicious Christmas dinners for lots of people. But Bertie is a very clever turkey, who has learnt a lot. When the lorry carrying Bertie, his friends Tulula and Charlie and the rest of the flock to market overturns, Bertie leads their escape. He has a clever plan to get their freedom. But will it work, or will they end up on the Christmas dinner table?

Mummy’s Review

Christmas is fast approaching and we are starting to get into the Christmas spirit in our house.  I’m helping to organise Christmas Fairs, Lunches with Santa, Nativity Plays, Carol Services… the list goes on and on.  The children too are beginning to feel the festive spirit as the Christmas adverts are starting to appear on TV, shops are filled with Christmas displays and Christmas Carol practice has started at school so they’ve started reaching for the Christmas stories on the book shelves.

This Christmas season, we are delighted to  be working with Austin Macauley Publishers in order to share a few lesser known Christmas books and their authors.  We have very kindly been gifted a copy of The Turkeys Who Had A Happy Christmas by John Norton & Brandon Mattless.

The story begins whilst the main character Bertie is still in his egg.  He quickly discovers that in order to ensure his survival he needs to hatch out into the real world.  Bertie is definitely a very cunning and savvy turkey who always has his wits about him, familiarising himself with the world by listening to Radio Norfolk!   Its not long before Bertie and his friends realise that they are destined to be Christmas Dinners and they will need to hatch a plan to escape.  With a little bit of luck, some clever social media know how and the help of a vegetarian, they may just be able to save their Christmas!

The Turkeys Who Had A Happy Christmas is a really lovely and unusual festive tale.  It’s really nice to enjoy a Christmas story that isn’t based around Santa or his Reindeer.  The illustrations are really unusual, almost like a collage, and they draw your eye to them making them a fantastic accompaniment to the story.   The story is a great Christmas adventure which will have you turning the pages to find out what the turkeys get up to next.  It’s also peppered with some funny moments for both children and adults.  The turkeys threatening to peck the power station guard’s bum particularly made us giggle!

If you are doing a Book Advent Calendar this year then The Turkeys Who Had A Happy Christmas would be perfect!

Rory’s Review

The turkeys are escaping the lorry on a dangerous adventure for freedom.  Are they going to have success?
The title of this book will make you wonder why the turkeys had a happy Christmas.  My favourite character is Bertie because he thinks up the escape plans.  The part I like best is when Bertie and the turkeys make friends with Lucy and call the Mayor because it is funny.  The pictures are like a collage and the cream on the Christmas pudding is made of newspaper and the post box and other things have been knitted.  This is a great book for the festive season and I would recommend it if you are doing a Book Advent Calendar.  I give this book 10/10.