Children's Book Reviews

Wednesday, August 19, 2015

 I grew up around chickens and turkeys as my grandfather had a poultry farm. Later my mom had chickens. Then, when I tried to raise bantams in my preschool, I found that to be a care taker of chickens is a constant vigilance. It was skunks, not coyotes, that became my downfall. I just couldn't make the chicken coop skunk-proof enough, having to go out in the wee hours to chase skunks away. No, I didn't get skunked as they just didn't like a wild, screeching woman with a broom chasing them in the indigo night!! For all that I respect chickens and all they give to us. A neighbor has chickens and I love the sound of the rooster crowing the morning awake. I love to obtain fresh, organic chicken and eggs as the taste is so like the chickens and eggs my Grammy cooked all those years ago.
I think you'll like Randy Bamboo's equally brave enterprise with chickens in this book.



Randy Bamboo in Chicken City

Raising chickens isn’t what 8 year old Randy thought it would be, to just gather eggs and sell them. So, when he gets his first batch of chicks, Randy quickly learns that they also have to be fed and watered, not to mention the cleaning up of their droppings. On top of that there are coyotes in the neighborhood. Will he also have to give up his dog Fred?

R. C. Beaird has set out an informative and amusing plot for his young readers accompanied by lively illustrations by Amy Koch Johnson. Increasingly, there are schools that include farming and some animal husbandry. This would be a wonderful book to help them to set up a unit with chickens that could easily include reading, math, art, music, and science. Likewise, a family with even a corner of their garden to share with chickens will have a grand time consulting this little tome. When their chickens lay eggs, they will discover the delicious taste of truly fresh eggs. In the last pages there are bonuses of lyrics to the “Chicken City” song and questions for further study and understanding. 
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