Raymond Arroyo unveils true origin of presidential turkey pardon in new book, urges families to read together
At a time when important historical figures are often relegated to the background, Raymond Arroyo is on a mission to teach children about the heroes who helped form and shape the United States and its values.
Arroyo, a bestselling author and the host of EWTN’s "The World Over," recently released the second installment in his Turnabout Tales series, a biography of Tad Lincoln, the youngest son of President Abraham Lincoln. Titled The Magnificent Mischief of Tad Lincoln,the illustrated book follows the story of the child responsible for an enduring national holiday tradition — the presidential turkey pardon.
“Part of the reason I wanted to write this story and the Turnabout Tale Series series are historic figures, historic lives, and I love that kids have embraced them, educators have embraced the books, and parents and grandparents, because we shouldn't lose these people,” Arroyo told The Christian Post.
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“When people lose their common understanding of their founding, the foundations they stand upon, if you don't have a common story and common heroes, you don't have anything. We have nothing to stand upon. And that's where division and fractures come from. We need to pass these people and their lessons and their lives to a new generation.”
According to Arroyo, historic tales of young lives, particularly those facing challenges, serve as reminders that obstacles are merely beginnings. These tales, he said, spotlight the pivotal decisions these young figures made, which often led to game-changing historical moments.
For example, the book touches on the death of Tad’s brother, Willie, and the moral struggles of leadership Tad witnessed his father go through during the Civil War.
“When young people are faced with a crisis or dilemma, they think that's the end of their journey. No, that's the beginning of your journey,” Arroyo said. “So each of these stories takes these historic figures and shows you the challenge they faced, the decision they made, and then how all of history was turned as a result of that.”
Though the origin of the White House's annual turkey pardon is often incorrectly attributed to former Presidents John F. Kennedy or Harry Truman, it can be traced back to the father-son relationship of the Lincolns, he added. Arroyo said he wanted to focus on the influence Tad had on his father during the tumultuous Civil War era.
“This tradition is really an emblem of the affection and love and the mercy and forgiveness that the father taught the son and later, the son taught the father,” the author said.
“It’s important to know the origins of why we do the things we do, whether that's Christmas traditions or American traditions, and these figures. It's a way for families and kids to understand the power of a child in your family, in your life, and the marks that a child can leave not only on the president of the United States but on an entire nation long after they're gone. I thought that's an important story to tell.”
“Underneath it, kids are learning something about history, about a critical moment in our history when troops were surrounding the White House. There was an advancing army on the other side of the river; they were contending with real challenges, and they found hope in the midst of those challenges, and that hope was found in the family.”
The Magnificent Mischief of Tad Lincoln follows the first book in the Turnabout Tales Series, The Unexpected Light of Thomas Alva Edison. The book highlights the support of Edison’s mother, Nancy Edison, who understood Thomas had a “special curiosity and went on to school him at home to help expand his worldview and understanding of all things nature and science.”
“Edison was a boy who was written off as an idiot, and his mother saw the promise and the inventiveness of his mind and gave him the tools to tinker and play and create and innovate,” Arroyo said. “That was the end of his schooling, but look at the innovations he created. [The Magnificent Mischief of Tad Lincoln] is about a boy who was just allowed to play, and he absorbs those lessons and reminds his father of mercy and forgiveness at a critical time.”
Emphasizing the importance of reading these tales, Arroyo, a father of three, said he’s an advocate for family reads — books that cater to all ages. The underlying intent, he said, is to foster bonding and conversations that organically arise from these stories.
“This book is sweet. It's fun. There's a lot of slapstick,” he said. “Tad Lincoln ran wild in the White House. A Lincoln staffer said, ‘Why are you letting this hellion run all over the place?’ As I explored that and studied it, I realized why, and it was because Tad Lincoln was a touchstone of normalcy, a touchstone of joy and fun in the hellscape that Lincoln was living in of the war, the loss of a child and so much else.
Children are important facets of our lives. And I hope not only do people appreciate what the Lincolns gave us, and Tad Lincoln's role in it, but the power of the children in your own lives if you'd let them just be kids, that's all they're supposed to do. And that's enough. And it's an important gift to us as adults and parents and mentors.”
The Magnificent Mischief of Tad Lincoln is now available.
Leah M. Klett is a reporter for The Christian Post. She can be reached at: leah.klett@christianpost.com
