Over the River: A Turkey's Tale by Derek Anderson, based on the song by Lydia Maria Child ages 4-8 40 pages Simon & Schuster Children's September 2005 Hardcover     Derek Anderson's anthropomorphized turkey-centric interpretation of Lydia Maria Child's old familiar "Over the River" gives kids and parents a picture book to be thankful for. Anderson's bold acrylic illustrations accompany the first-verse lyrics as Tom Turkey's family (father, mother, and Junior) set off on the annual trip to Grandmother's house for the big dinner - no fowl on the menu, though; the table features a cornucopia of fruits and veggies, mashed potatoes, even the ubiquitous cranberry jelly mold. But danger lurks on the path. A young hunter entices his somewhat misnamed hound Fluffy to get after a turkey for his version of Thanksgiving dinner, and he's right on the way to Grandma's place. How the Turkey family manages to avoid losing a member and (after a firm scolding from Granny for wrecking her pumpkin pie) brings the dog into the fold for dinner is a silly visual escapade. Goofy details enlighten the text to a child's delight (the horse who "knows the way to carry the sleigh" is a dapple gray out for some snow-sledding), and the scored melody and lyrics, including modulations at each new verse, fill the front and back inside covers so that parents can share the full tune with their little ones. This is a complete - and completely entertaining - Thanksgiving treat.      web reviews   Sharon Schulz-Elsing/2005 for curled up with a good kid's book   For grown-up fiction, nonfiction and speculative fiction book reviews, visit our sister site Curled Up With a Good Book (www.curledup.com)