10 Fat Turkeys
What’s inside...
The antics of ten fat turkeys on a fence illustrate counting from ten to one. As the story progresses, each turkey finds a humorous way to leave the fence, teaching children how to count backwards. The book culminates in a festive Thanksgiving celebration, making it a perfect read for the holiday season. A fun, silly, bouncy rhyming book that teaches little ones how to count backwards, perfect for fall or all-year-round! The story features ten goofy turkeys engaging in various activities, such as swinging from a vine, strutting on a boar, and doing a noodle dance. Beloved author Tony Johnston brings a lively energy to the text, and first-time illustrator Richard Deas enhances it with wild and wacky fun illustrations.
Series reading
Non-Sequential
Age
2-5
Length
32 pages
Text complexity
Discussion points
Why do you think the turkeys keep doing silly things throughout the story?
How did the story make you feel when the turkeys were tumbling and playing?
What do you think is the most important lesson the turkeys learned?
If you were one of the turkeys, what funny thing would you have done?
How do you think the story would change if there were more or fewer turkeys?
Tip: Role play these questions
Use different voices for each turkey to make the story more engaging and to help differentiate the characters for your child.
Pause after each turkey does something funny and ask your child what they think will happen next, fostering prediction skills.
Encourage your child to count the turkeys with you as each one disappears, enhancing their counting skills in a fun context.
Discuss the concept of cause and effect by asking your child what caused each turkey’s mishap and what the effect was.
After reading, engage in a creative activity, like drawing their favorite scene or turkey from the book to reinforce their memory and understanding of the story.
Key lessons
Example Lesson: Counting and Numeracy Skills
Explanation: As the turkeys fall off the fence one by one, children are exposed to counting backwards from 10 to 1, which helps to develop their numeracy skills.
Real-World Application: This can help children in their everyday life by improving their ability to count objects and understand basic subtraction concepts.
Example Lesson: Importance of Teamwork
Explanation: The turkeys in the story need to work together to balance on the fence, illustrating how teamwork is essential.
Real-World Application: Children can apply this lesson by participating in group activities at school or play, learning to cooperate and achieve common goals with others.
Example Lesson: Consequences of Actions
Explanation: Each turkey's antics lead to them falling off, showing how actions have consequences.
Real-World Application: This teaches children to think about the outcome of their actions in day-to-day activities and promotes responsibility.
Example Lesson: Creative Problem Solving
Explanation: The turkeys each try different and creative methods to stay on the fence, encouraging out-of-the-box thinking.
Real-World Application: Children can learn to approach their challenges creatively, whether in their playtime or homework tasks.
Example Lesson: Humor and Joy in Learning
Explanation: The playful and humorous nature of the story makes learning fun and engaging for children.
Real-World Application: Instilling a sense of joy in learning can encourage children to engage more deeply with educational activities at home or school.