In this bouncy rhyming fare by Schwartz and Call, a turkey bundles up against 10-degree winter chill before heading outside, but upon walking around the farmyard, he notices that his friends are even colder than he is. Sheep's shoulders "sh-sh-shook" as she tells Turkey, "I can't baa-lieve this storm's so baad./ I need a warmer nook." Turkey offers each friend one of his winter accessories--an alliterative description subsequently appending every farm animal ("SHIVERING SHEEP")--so that he ends up wobbling home, "cold and bare,/ in just his birthday suit!" But his pals quickly repay the earlier generosity by building a campfire they can all enjoy. Otis's broadly comic mixed media art, rendered in pencil, scanned textures, and digital paint, is the real draw: the frosty weather feels tangible, and the animal cast is terrifically expressive, especially when Cow places Turkey's turtleneck over her udders. A fun barnyard take on a classic concept. Ages 4--8. (Oct.)

A f-f-fun f-f-friendship frolic! It's 10 degrees outside when Turkey wakes up cold. Cold Turkey! Get it? The puns and humorous wordplay keep coming. With beak-chattering alliterative commentary, Turkey adds layers and layers of warm clothing. "I need to b-b-bundle up / before I f-f-freeze!" On a tour of the barnyard, Turkey finds his friends are in distress, too. Sheep is "sh-sh-shivering" but still making puns. "I can't baa-lieve this storm's so baad!" Cow declares, "This wind is a cow-tastrophy! / It's udderly insane." Pig "p-p-pok[es] out / from p-p-piles of straw. / 'My body's numb, from snout to bum.' " The compassionate friend that he is, Turkey leaves his hat with Sheep, his mittens with Chicken, his scarf with Horse, his sweater to warm Cow's udder, and his snow pants for Pig. Turkey's "loaned out all his loot. / He wobble[s] homeward, cold and bare, / in just his birthday suit! / Turkey t-t-totter[s]. / 'What a fierce, ferocious storm! / I may be getting frostbite, / but at least my heart feels warm.' " But his friends make sure more than just Turkey's heart is warm by building a fire that comforts them all. Otis' genial cartoons add touches of humor on their own as Turkey distributes his layers to his friends. (This book was reviewed digitally.) Don't wait until it's freezing to share Turkey's tongue-testing tale of wordplay and kindness. (Picture book. 4-7) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

PreS-Gr 2--It's freezing outside, and Cold Turkey gets dressed for the inclement weather. Donning a hat, coat, mittens, snow pants, boots, and a scarf, he heads out to the barnyard. There he encounters his friends who are also feeling the effects of the miserable winter day: Shivering Sheep, Chilly Chicken, Huddling Horse, Quivering Cow, and Polar Pig. Having a kind heart, Cold Turkey shares an article of clothing with each of the distressed animals until he is left with nothing but his boots. The animals feel sorry for the turkey, who is now in danger of getting frostbite. The animal gang joins forces and using wood from a nearby forest, builds a roaring fire. Within no time, they are renamed Stewed Sheep, Baked Chicken, Hot Horse, Sizzling Cow, Roasted Pig, and Toasty Turkey. Told in rhyme, this story features the concepts of friendship, sharing, and problem-solving. It's a riotous read-aloud, packed with entertaining alliteration, onomatopoeia, and puns. The pencil and digital paint illustrations of the personified animals add humorous details to the story and invite close inspection. The endpapers depict a map of the snow-covered barnyard labeling the route the turkey navigates as he and the other animals find their way to a nearby wooded area where they build the fire that takes them from freezing cold to toasty warm. VERDICT With a generous spirit and happy ending, this entertaining read-aloud is a worthy addition to preschool classrooms and early childhood library collections.--Lynne Stover