Turkeys around here call me Blake Jake Turkey. I live with my flock in Magnum, Oklahoma. One day when we were snoozing in the shade, I heard our warning alarm: "Gobble! Gobble! Gobble!" Three of my brothers shot straight up in the air, high into the calm, clear blue sky. But I froze in the grass near the pond. I gazed up at them. I knew I shouldn't have dozed during our class on how to make an emergency take-off from the high grass. What scared them? Uh, no! I see it leaping towards me! This begins the heart-warming story about Blake Jake Turkey, his best friend Homer, a Hereford bull, and an annoying hunting dog named Rush. ENDORSEMENTS FOR LINDA'S BOOKS Desert Friends (Travels with the Pack) - RECOMMENDED by the US Review - Book Review by Joyce Jacobo - "Animal friends in the Sonoran Desert in Arizona are found in all sizes, shapes, and colors.

" "It is a fun, lighthearted read, which should work very well when shared by elementary school teachers with their classes. However, it could also make a wonderful bedtime story for children who are especially interested in animals." CINDY CARR, NBCT, DISTRICT INTERVENTION COORDINATOR, LETRS SITE FACILITATOR, M.ED. CURRICULUM DEVELOPMENT, SAT/MLSS COORDINATOR, FORMER SECOND AND THIRD GRADE TEACHER-EAGLE NEST ELEMENTARY Chatty the Hen Pheasant (Travels with the Pack) - "Linda Harkey and I have been working together for five years. She brings an extra spark of knowledge, expertise, and fun to the process of writing stories for our young students in the classroom. Her perspective as an author inspires and motivates my students in a way that I have not achieved as a reading/writing teacher. I treasure our partnership.

" CHRISTY ESQUIVEL-THIRD GRADE TEACHER-EAGLE NEST ELEMENTARY Chatty the Hen Pheasant (Travels with the Pack) - "The students enjoyed reading Chatty. They loved Chatty's character and Nassau's character. My students loved learning to write from Mrs. Harkey.".