Preschool - 2

**Found in the 20th Century Children's Book Treasury**

I cannot believe I had never read this story before. I love it! It made me smile so big the entire time I was reading...more or less. ( )

A young boy connects and bonds with his dad and uncle through nature. This book is set in the country outskirts with the proper dialogue to match. His superiors tell Hugh Thomas a tall-tale about the capture of a 500 pound turkey. Thomas uses his imagination and goes on his own adventure where he caught millions of fish. A quality that most children’s book have is the repetition of different scenarios the main character goes through. After the third unbelievable event, Hugh Thomas is back to his dad and uncle with only 3 fish in his wagon and a tall-tale of himself to boast. McKissack is create with her story and is able to bring humor to the tragedy of Thomas losing all his fish. She brings the story full circle at the end when the audience realizes that Hugh Thomas was following in his elder’s footsteps. ( )

Hugh Thomas knows that the Bayou Clapateaux is a mighty peculiar place. Why, back in 1903, Papa-Daddy and Elder Abbajon caught a turkey that weighed 500 pounds…more or less. 500 pounds?! Hugh Thomas isn’t so sure about that, until he’s left alone on the bayou with only his fishing pole for company. Soon he catches three fish, and then…a million more! But after meeting up with raccoon bandits, thieving crows, and a hungry cat named Chantilly, Hugh Thomas returns home with just enough fish for breakfast…and a fantastic story, of course!

A cute and imaginative story! A good lesson for teaching hyperbole or math, specifically multiples of ten. ( )