Description

A captivating testament to the mutual rewards and delights of keeping chickens, by the Sunday Times bestselling author of The Flower Yard

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.

Publisher Review

Poetic… Parkinson writes with great lyricism… His knowledgeable enthusiasm is infectious — Bee Wilson * Sunday Times * A joy from the very first page. Arthur’s beautiful, lively and accurate drawings of these enchanting feathery people are irresistible, and I just love the way he writes. I am now jealous of fox-free areas where chickens may be kept. The photographs are award-winning: the whole thing is bliss — Joanna Lumley An author whose writing is as unashamedly ebullient as his dazzling displays * Gardens Illustrated * This hugely informative, joyful and amusing book has me desperately wondering and hoping that I could, after all, find space in my small garden for a few chickens. Maybe the rhubarb will have to go — John Wright, author of THE FORAGER’S CALENDAR