when chicks become hens

cute, fluffy babies no longer; silky and sweet little sophie, joan, peggy and pearl will soon be off to their real home that has lots of grass and worms from the ground (and not from the pet shop) and hopefully equally as much love! cheep cheep.

if you feel like reading a lovely story with chickens in it, try thurley fowler's the green wind and the wind is silver (but you'll have to get them from the library, or borrow them off me, because they are very sadly out of print) - so the chickens aren't the main attraction, but oh for being a young boy in the 1940s and here's to smuggling your favourite pet hen into the house by putting it down your shirt. (err...) but seriously, these are two lovely books about a family sticking it out through the tough post-war years on their farm in outback australia. jennifer, the main character, is sort of an australian anne shirley.

and there are chickens. sometimes on the dinner table as well as in the chook shed. (that will NEVER happen to our babies though!)

adventurous chickens

wendy, gus gordon (viking)

wendy is a chicken with dreams. she dreams of daring feats, adventure and fame.

after she dings her beak falling from the high wire (a rope strung above the farmyard) she meets a circus bear in the hospital and goes on to be the amazing flying chicken at monty mcfloos mostly spectacular travelling circus!

but will wendy be able to cope with the pressures and the reality of fame? or will it all end in disaster?

i love the sepia-tone "photos" of wendy doing her daring deeds. and all the little details in the background - signs and little animals and all that. this is a lovely book. and so funny.

thanks to jen for bringing this one back to my attention. i have strung up a high-wire at home and am training little sophie, peggy, joan and pearl in the circus arts. so far all they can do is flap their little wings, peck the side of the box and poo in their water.