You notice other small beings far more when you're little. I am a toddler the first time I meet a chicken, and we are equal in size and height. The hen has tiny eyelashes, a strawberry-jam face and a voice of purring clucks. I sense a happy spirit of inquisitiveness and smile in fascination. From that moment on, I will always love the company of chickens. I have found my tribe...
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The Blurb
Most of us want a dog, or a cat, or a pony when we are young – but for Arthur Parkinson, it was always hens. Growing up in an ex-mining town in Nottinghamshire, the other kids in the playground called him 'Chicken Boy'. The quiet fulfilment of keeping hens became his sanctuary, a tonic for mental and physical health, a connection with his family and the natural world. Illustrated with Arthur's own characterful watercolours and photographs of his ‘girls’, Chicken Boy is a one-of-a-kind memoir of a life in nature.
My Review
This was a fabulous non-fiction title to read, and I enjoyed it very much.
Arthur Parkinson has been fascinated by hens almost his entire life, and has been a chicken keeper for much of it too. His passion and enthusiasm are infectious. It flows from the pages, and it made this book a delight to read.
There is a mixture of his personal story and his relationship with chickens presented alongside instructions on how to care for them. He paints a vivid and pleasurable experience whilst not avoiding the realities involved. For most of us keeping chickens is unfeasible but I almost feel as though I have lived some of his experience through this book.
The text is mesmerising and it is accompanied by beautiful photography and illustrations, all of which have been done by the author.
This will appeal to chicken keepers but also to those of us for whom this could only be a dream. It is a beautifully written narrative and I highly recommend this book.
Book Details
ISBN: 978 0241573662
Publisher: Penguin
Formats: e-book, audio, hardback and paperback
No. of Pages: 240 (paperback)
Buy Links
About the Author
Arthur Parkinson is the author of The Pottery Gardener and The Flower Yard, and the co-host, with Sarah Raven, of the popular Grow, Cook, Eat, Arrange podcast. His writing and photography are regularly featured in the Daily Telegraph, and have appeared in The Times, Country Life and Country Living, among other magazines and newspapers; he has also featured in BBC Two's Gardeners' World.
You can also find Arthur at
(book and media courtesy of https://www.penguin.co.uk/)
(author photo courtesy of https://gardenmuseum.org.uk/)
(all opinions are my own)
(bookshop.org affiliated)
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