ALA Booklist (Sat Oct 01 00:00:00 CDT 2011)

Wild turkeys reside almost everywhere in the U.S. Here, a girl who lives in a rural area introduces readers to their life cycle. The short, rhyming text begins in the spring. Jenny (we learn her name in the informative back matter, "Jenny's Journal") spies turkey toms strutting around as well as hens making shallow nests; by summer, the turkey eggs have hatched. Autumn sees the turkeys crunching through the leaves, and during the winter months, the big birds roost in the trees. Though the text provides more description than facts, the colorful illustrations, with the look of woodcuts, catch the eye. One caveat: "Jenny's Journal" reminds readers that wild turkeys aren't pets and will fiercely defend their nests, but in some of the pictures, she seems to be on quite friendly terms with them. The journal is where kids will learn about the turkey's history, how they were brought back from near extinction, and a good deal about baby turkeys. A few activities round out the treatment.

Horn Book

From spring through winter, young Jenny observes the wild turkeys in her yard. Expressive illustrations with the look of block prints show the toms and hens nesting, raising babies, roosting in trees, etc. The appended "Jenny's Journal" provides more information than the clunky rhyming text. Suggestions for activities and an animal-tracks guessing game conclude the book.

Kirkus Reviews

After discovering a flock of turkeys in her yard in the spring, Jenny continues to watch them throughout the year.  With a simple text, mostly rhyming couplets, the young nature watcher describes the turkeys' appearance and behavior as they nest and raise their young in the woods nearby. She notes particularly how they walk and fly. "Toms strut and puff to look their best." In a departure from her previous straight collage work (Scoot, 2008, and others), Falwell augments her multi-media (cut and torn paper and found natural materials) images with overlaid block prints. Leaf prints add further texture. These charming illustrations also show other animals, including deer, chickadees, cardinals and squirrels. Plants and trees are recognizable as those of the author-illustrator's Maine world, and seasons are indicated with a vignette underneath the text: apple blossoms, dandelion flower, red leaf, snow flake. Images of turkeys slipping on the frozen ground and the child's imagined vision of them sliding down snowy hills add humor. The book concludes with "Jenny's Journal," straightforward exposition offering more facts about turkeys for older readers. As she's done before, the author includes suggestions for artwork and other activities. An "Animal Tracks" puzzle provides an appealing conclusion. Not just for Thanksgiving, this should be a welcome addition to nature shelves all year round. (Informational picture book. 4-7)

School Library Journal (Thu Dec 01 00:00:00 CST 2011)

PreS-Gr 2 A girl is fascinated by the flock of wild turkeys living near her home. Simple, rhyming text describes the appearance and habits of the birds throughout the year. In the spring, Jenny watches from her window as "Toms strut and/puff to look their/best. Turkey hens make/shallow nests." Respectful of nature, she observes from a distance as baby poults hatch in the summer and roost high in backyard trees in autumn. In the winter, Jenny follows a trail of footprints and spies her turkey friends perched on top of a snowman. Falwell's collage illustrations include leaf prints and vibrantly capture the changing seasonal landscapes. An afterword, "Jenny's Journal," provides more facts about wild turkeys. This informational picture book will inspire young naturalists to explore their own surroundings. Linda Ludke, London Public Library, Ontario, Canada