Not one but two new picture books out this season feature masquerading turkeys and have almost identical titles: Australian author Adam Wallace’s Turkey in Disguise, illustrated by Mike Moran, and Cynthia Platt’s Turkeys in Disguise, illustrated by Josh Cleland. In anticipation of Thanksgiving, we invited Wallace and Platt to talk turkey about their festive books and the creative process.

Adam Wallace: Hi, Cynthia... wait, is that really you? Or are you actually a turkey? Either way, congratulations on Turkeys in Disguise; it’s a really fun book!

What’s also funny is we have written really similarly titled books and mine is called Turkey in Disguise! I have just one little turkey disguising herself in costumes for the big November ball, because she’s worried she looks a bit boring. You have lots of turkeys disguising themselves.

My inspiration was a project kids do in schools. What inspired your awesome book?

Cynthia Platt: The school project was a big part of what spurred Turkeys in Disguise, too: sitting down and thinking about why a turkey might need a disguise and how the kids would create over-the-top costumes! Also, there are a lot of turkeys roaming around my neighborhood, so inspiration abounds.

And a big congratulations to you as well! Turkey in Disguise does such a wonderful job of being really fun while being sweet and affirming as well. How did you react when you first saw the sketches, and later art, for the book and how well Mike Moran captured all of those things? I have to admit I cracked up the moment I saw Josh Cleland’s initial sketches!

Wallace: Ha, I love that—inspiration just roaming around your neighborhood! And yes, seeing the illustrations for the first time is one of my favorite parts of writing—to not only see how Mike brought the story to life, but to see how he interpreted it, and what little extras he put in. My favorite is the picture of the turkey disguised as a park bench!

I’m curious—did you give illustration notes or just let Josh go for it and let his imagination fly? There’s so much going on in his pictures!

Platt: The park bench is hilarious! I’m pretty partial to how Josh created the turkey astronaut as well. To add illustration notes or not always feels like a big question. I did add some, but Josh went for it, and I’m so glad he did as he’s definitely funnier than I am.

What about you and Mike? And—this is a question you only really could ask in the kid-lit world—how did you choose which disguises you wanted for your turkey?

Wallace: Haha, yes, the astronaut is great, but the turkey flowers were my favorite. I tend not to add any illustration notes, unless I have a joke in mind that needs a picture as the punchline, often after a page turn. When you have people as awesome and talented as Josh and Mike, I feel it’s best to let them go for it, as they will go places we never could have imagined!

As for the disguise ideas, I just chose the ones I would either want to see... or want to wear myself! Here’s a question for you: we both have funny stories with wacky disguises and lots of silly things going on, but also nice messages in them. How important do you feel it is to have a message, even in a funny book?

Platt: When I sit down to try to write what I hope will be a funny book, I’m not sure I even think about a message at first. That is, I don’t always set out with a message in mind—though one often seems to come through anyway! I think a lot of my writing centers around kindness—being kind to others and yourself. There’s a strong strain of what we called being a helper when my daughter was little. Some of the kids’ ideas in this book—and in my upcoming Bunny in Disguise—might be a bit out there, but the desire to help some equally out there turkeys is at the foundation. I also think having fun for fun’s sake is really important, for kids and adults! Ultimately, there’s a lot of joy in both of our turkey books.

Do you know what else has been joyful? Having this conversation with you!

Wallace: It sure has, Cynthia; I am loving getting these insights. I’m similar to you in that I go for entertaining first and message second. A message always comes out, but it is nice when it is within an entertaining story rather than being pushed out there.

And yes! With so many messages out there, kids need to find time to be silly and have fun for fun’s sake, because in the end that is one of the most important messages of all: that we are allowed to have fun, and don’t have to be serious all the time!

Thanks so much for taking the time to talk turkey about turkeys!

Platt: Thank you as well!

Turkey in Disguise by Adam Wallace, illus. by Mike Moran. Silver Dolphin, $12.99 Aug. ISBN 978-1-66721-045-2

Turkeys in Disguise by Cynthia Platt, illus. by Josh Cleland. Clarion, $12.99 Sept. ISBN 978-0-06-346033-1