Talking Turkey

This is the time of year when many of us are thinking about Meleagris gallopavo. It is probably more accurate to say that we are thinking about one specific turkey, the one that will be part of our Thanksgiving dinner. The library has many cookbooks to help prepare a holiday meal, but I especially liked Thanksgiving by Ellyn Sanna. This book includes information about the culture, history and traditions of Thanksgiving. The recipes are very traditional, including my family's secret (I thought) recipe for cranberry salad.

I think turkeys are fascinating, and I consider myself to be in good company. After all, Benjamin Franklin wanted the turkey to be our official bird instead of the bald eagle. He thought that the eagle had "bad moral character," and said, "The turkey is a much more respectable bird, and withal a true original native of America." The National Turkey Federation (NTF) includes that fact and many more on its website.

The NTF is the group that has presented the National Thanksgiving Turkey to the President each year since 1947. Of course, the President publicly pardons that turkey and sends it to live at Mt. Vernon.

Two of the library's databases are good sources of information about turkeys as well. PebbleGo Animals is a great resource for emergent readers. Your child can learn lots of fun facts, such as what a poult is. (It's a baby turkey.) Amazing Animals of the World is a database for older children. You can link to these databases through the library's website,  and can log in from home with your Des Plaines library card, even on Thanksgiving Day.

Have a great Thanksgiving!