The Challenges (and Advantages) of Writing Stories About Chickens

“Five Buff Orpington Chicks” Illustration by the Author

In my author bio, I’ve said that while I often produced small writing and drawing projects over the years, I never found my creative purpose until I decided to raise some baby chicks. You may be wondering “Why?” I’ve asked myself that many times. Writing about chickens as main characters definitely has its challenges, but it also has some unexpected rewards.

First the challenges

The most popular animals in books for children are dogs and cats. Honestly, baby chicks are as cute as they can be, just as cute as any puppy or kitten. But they may not be the best choice for main characters in a children’s book. Puppies and kittens have fur which makes them more like people who have hair. Chickens have feathers, not fur. Puppies and kittens have paws which makes them more like people who have hands. Chickens have wings, not hands. Puppies and kittens make great Christmas gifts or birthday gifts, but not chickens.

So, what are the challenges?

Fear. When someone is afraid, what are they likely to be called? That’s right. “Chicken.” It is doubtful that chickens will ever overcome the “Chicken Little” stereotype. Can readers really trust a character who is likely to run away at the most suspenseful part of a story?

Faces. Every chicken has a hard beak right where we expect to find a nose and mouth. Watch a dog or a cat, and you will see almost human facial expressions. But beaks just go up and down. They can’t smile. They can’t frown. They simply open and close. Can readers really tell how a character is feeling when they don’t show their emotions through facial expressions?

Suspicious Motives. People have always questioned the motives of chickens.Even today, you will still hear people asking, “Why did the chicken cross the road?” Evil intentions are certainly implied in this question which no one seems to be able to answer satisfactorily. Can readers really believe anything a character says when no one seems to know what is behind their simple everyday activities?

And finally, but most importantly…Chicken Nuggets. People, especially younger people, eat a lot of chicken nuggets. They may even eat more chicken nuggets than hamburgers and hotdogs. Can readers truly become interested in a main character who they may be eating for their next meal?

Then the advantages

So why write books about chickens at all? Is it a devious plan to undermine the entire chicken nugget industry and turn everyone into vegetarians? Not really. Rather than boring people with chicken stories in my everyday life and being unaware that I am boring them, I quietly write stories and draw illustrations.

So what are the advantages?

Genuine writing challenges. From my perspective as a writer, it is more challenging to write about chicken than dogs or cats.

I have to work harder to get a reader to invest in the main characters and truly care whether those characters succeed or fail. I have to spend more time delving into the emotional life chickens and explaining the world from their perspective.

I also have to work harder when writing solutions to problems in the plot. Since chickens don’t have paws or hands, they have to use their beaks to do simple things like open a door or operate a jump rope. For readers, this can result in suspenseful questions like “How will they manage to do that by themselves?”

If I do a really good job, the reader will put down the chicken nuggets and do the one thing every writer wants them to do — turn the page.

Whenever I write about my chickens, I always keep in mind this one goal: I want my readers to love my chickens as much as I do.

Genuine writing rewards. When I began writing and illustrating posts for My Life With Gracie on WordPress, one particular reader stood out who I will never forget. She was a middle grades student in India, and she enjoyed drawing. She liked how brave Gracie was and how she worked so hard to overcome obstacles in life. She also appreciated how Gracie was such a loyal friend to everyone. She wrote this comment once and it has stuck with me through all of these years.

I wish I had a friend like Gracie.

Gracie is a friend to people around the world, and she now has friends on every continent (except for Antarctica). She even has friends in New Zealand where chickens are fondly called “chooks.” Who would have ever imagined it?

Being a part of something bigger than myself. It is an amazing feeling to be part of something bigger than yourself, and that is how writing about my chickens makes me feel. From here in my little backyard garden, my chickens are changing the world. What could be more rewarding than that?

And you, our fans, have a huge part in that too. You keep us motivated and moving forward, always trying to do better on our next project. We think about you, we picture you in our minds, and we work very hard to produce work that lets you know you are valued as friends. Together with all our fans, we are part of something much bigger than ourselves!

Receiving fan mail. Getting letters and drawings from children who read our books is always a huge advantage of writing books about chickens.

You’ll notice that Sophia calls herself “a chicken” just like Gracie and the others. This is very endearing because it shows how she was able to relate emotionally to the chickens in the story.

Thank you so much for reading!

Always your friends,

John, Gracie, Bessie, Blanche, Pearl, Emily and Amelia