Book Giveaway: Turkey Trick or Treat by Wendi Silvano

I discovered Wendi Silvano picture book TURKEY TRICK OR TREAT. It is laugh out loud funny and the illustrations done by Lee Harper are gorgeous. It really is a perfect marriage of text and pictures. I had to email Wendi and ask if she would participate on our featured book giveaway and she said yes. All you have to do to get in the running is to leave a comment. Reblog, tweet, or talk about it on Facebook with a link and you will get additional chances to win. Just let me know the other things you did to share the good news, so I can put in the right amount of tickets in my basket for you. Check back to discover the winner.

BOOK DESCRIPTION:

Everyone loves Halloween candy—even Turkey. But how can he and his barnyard friends get any when the farmers give it out only to children? With a costume, of course! As his pals look on, Turkey comes up with one clever costume after the next. Each trick gets better and better…but will Turkey and his friends end up with any treats? This hilarious companion to Turkey Trouble and Turkey Claus is filled to the brim with holiday fun.

BOOK’S JOURNEY:

story of TURKEY TRICK OR TREAT really began with the first book in the Turkey series (TURKEY TROUBLE). Many years ago I lived in Peru for 18 months. While there, I lived with a family up in the Andes Mountains who had a variety of animals that roamed their courtyard. They had three dogs, a handful of chickens, a goat, a turtle and… you guessed it… a turkey. Every day, when we finished our meals, we would go and scrape any leftovers into a stone trough for the dogs to eat. To my surprise and delight the turkey would come running too and join right in, making joyful noises and clearly loving his “treats” as much as the dogs. He would sometimes sneak up behind us and make a sudden, strange sound to startle us or follow us around like he wanted to join in whatever we were doing. He had such personality (which I must admit I had never thought turkeys had). Every time I remember him I still smile.

When I began writing for children many years later I would scour my brain for story ideas, knowing that the character is often what makes readers connect with the tale. That Peruvian turkey came to my mind and wouldn’t leave. That’s when I knew I had to figure out what his story would be. It wasn’t hard because a turkey’s biggest problem or worry is, of course, becoming dinner. I knew I wanted the story to be funny, and the art to play a major role in that effort, so I pictured Turkey trying to disguise himself as other animals to hide out.

 

I sold TURKEY TROUBLE to Marshall Cavendish and was incredibly lucky to be blessed with Lee Harper as my illustrator. Who else could do such an amazing job of devising Turkey’s myriad of disguises?  The book came out in 2009 and won a Children’s Choice Award. Turkey wouldn’t leave me alone, and seemed to be popular with both kids and teachers, so we did a Christmas sequel (TURKEY CLAUS). During production, Marshall Cavendish sold their children’s line to Two Lions, so it was published by them in 2012.

Every time I would do a school visit or read the book at a library event the children always asked what the next Turkey book would be. So many mentioned they would like a Valentine’s Day tale, that I actually wrote one and submitted it to my editor. After some back and forth I got word back that they really wanted to do a Halloween one instead. So, with that charge, I began brainstorming story ideas for Turkey at Halloween. Lee Harper was aware of the Halloween theme and did quite a few sketches of Turkey in various costume possibilities. These were a tremendous source of inspiration, and it was quite hard to choose which costumes to actually put in the story. (In fact, one old-west sheriff costume that didn’t make it into TURKEY TRICK OR TREAT has inspired a different Turkey story called TURKEY GOES WEST, that hopefully will make it to print one day).

Turkey and his ingenious disguises continue to delight readers of many ages, and I get letters and comments from children giving me all sorts of fun ideas for Turkey’s next adventure. He is currently under contract as the star of the upcoming TURKEY’S EGGSTRA-SPECIAL EASTER, which will come out in early 2019 from Two Lions Press. With each story, Turkey seems to get more mischievous and more clever in his disguises, which is fine by me!

WENDI’S BIO:

Wendi writes picture books, early and emergent readers, early chapter books, magazine articles and stories, educational materials and goofy poetry. A former preschool and elementary school teacher, Wendi has always loved children’s literature and is now delighted to take part in creating books like those she loved as a child. Besides, it’s a great excuse not to clean the bathrooms!

Wendi Silvano was born in Salt Lake City, Utah and has lived in Oregon, Peru and now Colorado. She has a B.A. in Early Childhood Education and taught school for 11 years. She is the mother of five and the owner of an ever-changing assortment of critters who are great inspiration for her writing. She now writes from her home in Colorado.

Wendi, thank you for sharing your book and journey with us. I am happy that the person who wins will get to enjoy this work of art.

Talk tomorrow,

Kathy