Three About Thurston
written and illustrated by Susan Milord
Houghton Mifflin, 2005
Thurston is a rooster. Sometimes he is clever. Often he is cunning. You may find him sneaky. But he is always Thurston. from Kirkus Reviews: Milord manages to pack three short riffs on the waggish, self-assured rooster Thurston into this quick picture book. The first has the rooster cooking up a pot of "Every-but-the-Kitchen-Sink Soup," wherein Thurston decides to add the sink as well, giving the dish just what it was was missing. Next, Thurston boasts the prowess of all rooster, the fact that they can do each and everything better than chickens, until he's handed an egg. " 'Your turn,' Mirabelle said." Lastly, he cheats at cards--no one ever said Thurston was an angel--in what is decidedly his least savory moment. He flees the table before getting skunked; he may not always win, but he never loses. Sure, Thurston. That last episode ought to spark some interesting discussions between reader and listeners, but that's Thurston: A rascal and a challenge. The artwork catches Thurston in all his pomposity--watercolors that feel like statements from Thurston's soapbox--throwing a broad, ironic humor over the proceedings. |