Review Detail

The Great Turkey Walk tells the story of Simon Green who isn’t a good student and isn’t much help on his family’s farm but he stumbles across a herd of turkeys and learns that they are worth a lot more in Denver. This is when Simon hatches up a plan to take the 1,000 turkeys from Missouri to Denver to sell them so he heads out with his mules, the turkeys, and a mule driver. Throughout this journey, he encounters several challenges that require him to be strong, and fierce, and use his quick-thinking skills to get through the obstacles.

What I liked: I had not heard of this book before but what intrigued me was the cover and I enjoy all types of birds including turkeys. I was quite pleased with this story and enjoyed the images throughout the book. I enjoyed the expressions on each of the character’s faces as they went through various obstacles as you can see fear, anger, joy, and more.

I was curious and looked up if this was a true story and found that there was a similar situation that took place in the 1800s. I liked the small pieces of history that are included throughout this book like Simon encountering Jo, a runaway slave, the encounter with the Pottawattomie tribe, and Lizzie. I liked the way that the author included these pieces that one can learn from and how Simon is also learning alongside the reader about these things. I also like how the author addresses the privilege that Simon and Mr. Peece have when compared with Jo and the discussion about what freedom means.

Final Verdict: The Great Turkey Walk is a great graphic novel for children ages 8 and up. There are moments in which you will be learning history, laughing along with Simon, and/or feeling worried for his and the group’s well-being. You will grow to love each one of these turkeys that are along in the journey with Simon and only want the best for everyone involved.