What happens when two medical professionals–ex Army medic from a village in the Scottish Highlands and an inner city nurse from inner-city London—switch jobs for three months and become unlikely pen pals?

Lissa, is a nurse in a gritty, hectic London neighborhood. Always terribly competent and good at keeping it all together, she’s been suffering quietly with PTSD after helping to save the victim of a shocking crime. Her supervisor quietly arranges for Lissa to spend a few months doing a much less demanding job in the little town of Kirrinfeif in the Scottish Highlands, hoping that the change of scenery will help her heal. Lissa will be swapping places with Cormack, an Army veteran who’s Kirrinfeif’s easygoing nurse/paramedic/all-purpose medical man. Lissa’s never experienced small-town life, and Cormack’s never spent more than a day in a big city, but it seems like a swap that would do them both some good.

In London, the gentle Cormack is a fish out of the water; in Kirrinfief, the dynamic Lissa finds it hard to adjust to the quiet. But these two strangers are now in constant contact, taking over each other’s patients, endlessly emailing about anything and everything. Lissa and Cormack discover a new depth of feeling…for their profession and for each other.

But what will happen when Lissa and Cormack finally meet…?

In a quiet little glade in the middle of the wood,
Lived a quirky little turkey who was up to no good!

Bound and determined to outshine the other turkeys, Quirky lands himself in dangerous situation…again and again. Will he listen to his friends as they use kindness and courage to show him that true beauty is not found in how we look on the outside but from what is in our hearts? Or, will his pride be the end of him?

Author Toni Wilson, drawing on her teaching expertise, has crafted Quirky the Turkey with all the essentials educators love in classroom books: vibrant illustrations, engaging read-alouds that invite student participation, and key academic concepts like rhyme, rhythm, prediction, and color recognition. Teachers and parents can also expand the learning with free resources available on the His Arrowsmith website.

Inspired by the character lessons found in beloved classics like The Rainbow Fish by Marcus Pfister and Last Stop on Market Street by Matt de la Pena, Quirky the Turkey combines whimsical rhymes with playful humor reminiscent of The Gruffalo by Julia Donaldson. This lively, colorful story will have children laughing while they learn the timeless truth that true beauty shines from within.

Grab your copy today and help your children discover that it’s what’s inside that truly counts!