Gracias, el pavo de Thanksgiving

About This Book

Spanish readers are certain to enjoy this story about a little boy named Miguel and the live turkey he names "Gracias." Miguel lives in New York with his grandparents and his Aunt Rosa. His father, a truck driver, is on the road a good deal and sends home a live turkey. Miguel and his family are supposed to fatten the turkey for his father's return home at Thanksgiving. But how does a family keep a turkey in a New York apartment? And how will they even consider eating it, once Miguel decides to make Gracias his pet?

Everyone in the neighborhood takes a liking to Gracias, from the Indian store owner who gives Miguel leftover produce to feed the bird, to the African-American policewoman who finds the turkey after someone tries to steal him. But it is not until after Gracias follows Miguel to church one Sunday, where Father Jaime blesses the bird, that Miguel's family finally decides they won't actually eat Gracias for Thanksgiving. How can they eat a bird that's been blessed by their priest? Miguel donates Gracias to the petting zoo in Central Park, where he visits him with his father every weekend.

Thanksgiving is a quintessential American holiday, and in this funny and endearing story, Joy Cowley shows how the holiday is observed by the newest of Americans. Joe Cepeda's illustrations make the story only funnier, and his bright colors and images capture the landscape of a diverse urban community. Gracias might be just a turkey, but in this story he is also an important symbol recognized by Americans from all cultural backgrounds.