Chicken Boy: My Life With Hens

by Arthur Parkinson

A captivating, beautifully illustrated memoir of a life in nature, and a testament to the mutual rewards and delights of keeping chickens, by the Sunday Times bestselling author of The Flower Yard

'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'

Most of us want a dog, or a cat, or a pony when we are young - 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'. But 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. From the local allotments and his nan's back garden, to Chatsworth and an unlikely friendship with the late Duchess of Devonshire, a famous hen-keeper, Chicken Boy tells the story of the love and satisfaction to be found in caring for living things.

Illustrated with Arthur's own characterful watercolours and photographs of his 'girls', and laden with practical hen-keeping tips, gardening advice and introductions to common, rare and pure breeds, Chicken Boy is a one-of-a-kind memoir of a life in nature.

Genres: Nonfiction, Nature

235 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2023

Reviews

[Katy Wheatley · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was one of the nicest books I have read in simply forever. Parkinson is charming and knowledgeable, passionate about chickens and the way of life he has chosen and he is very generous in the way he shares it with the reader. Everything about this book is great. The photography, the illustrations, the writing. It made me want to get chickens. It also made me realise that I am not in a position to get chickens and that to get them would be entirely for my own pleasure and that is not the point. The whole point of this book is to build a generous, nurturing relationship with the natural world and to rebalance things in favour of a world of we have so long taken from and not given back to. Parkinson is gentle but unsparing and is entirely clear about his message.

[Daniel Myatt · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good mixture of biography and guide to chickens that was well-written and well presented (I listened to the book) although a little more like a lecture in parts still a good listen.

[Zuzanna · Rating 5 out of 5]

Precious book!
A perfectly balanced memoir, hen keeping guide and art/photo exhibition of the joys and realities of keeping hens. I adored every page of this book and will be planning out my own desert island flock immediately.

[Kelly · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent. Brings to life the joy of keeping hens and enriches one understanding of them in a beautiful and engaging way. There are many ‘how to keep chickens’ books. This is for more than that, lovely narrative and packed with information that’s given in a warm and friendly way. Basically its a warm and friendly chat with an experienced keeper. Came away with a much deeper understanding of my hens, what they need and how I can improve their lives for the better. All keepers should read this.

[Zoë Eaglen · Rating 4 out of 5]

A charming world of feathers ,beautifully illustrated and highly informative. Would love to have chickens but not enough space unfortunately and having read this book I would want only the best for my chickens!🥰

[Bo · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a charming gem of a book! I spotted Arthur Parkinson’s Chicken Boy in the Slightly Foxed autumn readers’ catalogue and loved the sound of it:

Most of us want a dog or a cat when we are young but for Arthur, it was always hens. From the allotments of Nottinghamshire to Chatsworth and an unlikely friendship with the late Duchess of Devonshire, a famous hen-keeper, this memoir – illustrated by the author – tells the story of the love and satisfaction to be found in caring for living things.

I added it to my Christmas list and ended up with a copy under the tree, from my parents.

Arthur Parkinson is a young British gardening expert who, judging by his six-figure Instagram follower number (which I now count myself amongst), is apparently pretty well known, although he was unfamiliar to me before I encountered Chicken Boy. Chicken Boy is Parkinson’s love letter to hen keeping. It is impossible to easily classify the book in terms of genre: part reflection on the joys of keeping hens, part memoir of the substantial role that chickens have played in Parkinson’s life, part guide to hen keeping, part encyclopedia of the beautiful menagerie of chicken breeds. Altogether it makes for a delightful and engaging read. Parkinson’s gentle, passionate voice shines through his writing, which is unpretentious and accessible. I cannot imagine a reader who could finish this book and not want to be friends with him.

Beyond the words on the page, the book is also physically beautiful. Kudos to the publisher for creating a book that feels special and high quality, with a gorgeous cover design and color scheme that complement Parkinson’s top notch chicken illustrations and photographs, which are included on at least every other page and add so much to the experience of the book. This is the type of book that, had I borrowed it from the library to read, I would have ended up ordering a copy of for my own bookshelf.

Although it might seem like a book on hen keeping would appeal to only a niche audience, I feel confident that most readers would thoroughly enjoy it. I have neither inclination nor conducive circumstances to raise chickens anytime soon (although I generally enjoy reading about agrarian life and have always been fond of chickens), but Chicken Boy ranks among my favorite reads in recent memory.

[Jennyren · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just utterly gorgeous! I greatly enjoyed reading about Arthur's life so those snippets where very welcome. Also how informative is this book! I love my chickens and this was a fantastic read.

[Mahala · Rating 4 out of 5]

An enjoyable read for me as someone who keeps hens. I’m not sure how entertaining it would be for someone who doesn’t, as the memoir style of the beginning of the book transitions to much more of a “how to” guide later throughout. Some of the information was very England specific and thus not relevant or useful to me in Australia. I loved the scratchy ink-lined watercolour illustrations throughout!

[Lesley Joy]

A mix of biography and lists of chickens for showing. I did enjoy it but it's definitely written for those keeping hens.

[Charlene Soan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm resisting the urge to go and give my ladies a big cuddle after finishing this delightful book, (it's night time, they're sleeping).

[Anna · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a fabulous non-fiction title to read, and I enjoyed it very much.

If you would like to read my full review please visit my blog at:

https://leftontheshelfbookblog.blogsp...