Second-graders write turkey book, win prize among 800,000 entrants

PERRYVILLE, Mo. — There was a turkey bound and determined to avoid being the centerpiece of a Thanksgiving Day feast.

He took on costumes to deceive a farmer and his wife, and the desperate attempt was chronicled by second-grade students last year at Perryville Elementary.

They worked on a mix of good and bad deceptions throughout the year for the desperate animal, who, if not determined, definitely was bound — as in a hardback book, “Turkey’s Disguise.”

Valerie Stueve’s class learned in May they were among the winners of a national-book challenge put on by Studentreasures Publishing, seeing their effort reach print among the 800,000 entrants.

The 50-page book features artwork of an animal in a feathered disguise along with the pro or con of it avoiding the table of Stueve and her husband, Glen, who are farmers. All 20 of her students addressed an animal,

A trophy awarded to "Turkey's Disguise" for the National Book Challenge sits out on a desk Tuesday at Perryville Elementary School in Perryville, Missouri.BEN MATTHEWS

It won a $100 check for school supplies for her classroom, and all of the authors received a free hardback copy of the book.

“I was just shocked,” Stueve said about the award. “I didn’t really know there was any award that went with this. I was just excited for them, because they worked hard. Mrs. Stueve was extremely picky.”

The students, now in third grade, unanimously agreed with her assessment of “picky.”

First drafts were rejected, along with second drafts and more.

“We had to write it five times,” said Israel Graham, whose feathered, two-tooth squirrel is pictured on Page 23.

Students take turns signing copies of "Turkey's Disguise" on Tuesday at Perryville Elementary School in Perryville, Missouri.BEN MATTHEWS

Graham concluded the squirrel disguise was not a good one, writing the “farmer goes hunting and eats squirrels” on the adjacent page.

It’s among the 10 bad disguises, which include a pig, deer, cow, chicken, rabbit, duck, buffalo, lamb and bear. They’re rejected due to hunting and food considerations.

“They had to research if this was going to be a good disguise or a bad disguise based on whether this might be something a farmer or person might eat, or is this a pet or zoo animal that would be pretty safe and be a good disguise,” Stueve said.

Valerie Stueve and her former second-grade students hold a copy of their book, "Turkey's Disguise," on Tuesday at Perryville Elementary School in Perryville, Missouri.Ben Matthews ~ Southeast Missourian

Serenity Cook said her feathered cow with bird legs was a bad idea because it “has beef and hamburger in it.”

Similarly, Guadalupe Banda-Moreno said her feathered, purple-faced pig also was a bad choice, learning bacon and ham were pork products.

“That’s not a very good disguise,” she said.

The depictions of a king cobra, lion, pony, cheetah, donkey, rhinoceros, giraffe, dog, cat and tortoise were deemed good choices to avoid the feast.

Emma Blechle writes Farmer Stueve would not eat his cat. She said the artwork was more difficult for her than the writing, which she did neatly and with proper punctuation.

“I wanted to make sure they knew the writing process first, that they understood basic punctuation, capitalization, how to write a paragraph,” Stueve said. “And agriculture is pretty important to me, because I’m also a farmer.”

Stueve said the project was worked on an hour or two a week, beginning before Thanksgiving and reaching completion in March.

She finished the final eight pages of the book, which her students unanimously agree has a happy ending.

Farmer Stueve finds the turkey on Thanksgiving Day and brings it to Mrs. Stueve, who says with delight: “I really am looking forward to having you for dinner!”

Farmer Stueve then places the turkey on a chair at the table, to which Mrs. Stueve proclaims: “I hope you like salad and cheese pizza, Turkey!”

Beside being a keepsake for the students and their families, the book will be used as a guideline example by the publisher in future contests.

Stueve said she sent a copy of the book to her cousin, Maj. Theresa Wagner, serving with the U.S. Army/National Guard in the Middle East. She asked her to share it with the other soldiers.

“A little piece of home,” Stueve said. “She’s been writing my class letters every week, and so we wanted to give her a little gift.”

jbreer@semissourian.com

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