"Chicken Literature"

Chicken Boy – the Book, the CD…

by Sharon Gaughan, PCLF Education Program Director

Several years ago, I read a book for kids (ages 10 and up, according to the book jacket) called Chicken Boy by Frances O’Roark Dowell (Antheneum Books, 2005).  I remember that I enjoyed reading it, but couldn’t remember much of the storyline – so recently I checked it out of the public library on CD.  

I listen to a lot of books on CD – mostly in the car, but also sometimes at home while doing some kind of mindless task.  One of the things that I’ve come to appreciate about listening to fiction on CD, is the performance quality that a talented reader can bring to the story.  The recording of Chicken Boy is a good example of that.

Tobin is "Chicken Boy."  Tobin is a seventh grader, going through a difficult time, but with the help of a new friend (Henry) and a few chickens, he makes his way through.

Here are some of my favorite “chicken quotes” from Chicken Boy...

“They want to know if we’ve got food,” Henry explained.  “To them, the world’s one big chicken restaurant and we are merely waiters.” (p. 33)

“Tobin, my man, you are going to learn about chickens.  And when you learn about chickens, you will learn about life.”  (Henry, p. 45)

There were a couple of reasons Henry knew so much about chickens.  One was that he thought chickens were the center of the universe.  The other was that he was doing an extra credit project on the inner lives of chickens for science class.

“Mr. Peabody doesn’t actually believe that chickens have inner lives,” Henry explained to me…  “According to him, their brains are too small.  But he hasn’t spent enough time around real, live chickens.  If he had, he’d know there’s a lot going on inside those little heads of theirs.”  (p. 49)

“Henry let me ask you something,” Granny went on…  “Have you once really and truly looked a chicken in the eye?  Son, if you have, you know there ain’t nothing there.”

“Mrs. Fletcher, I have to respectfully disagree with you.  I have looked a chicken in the eye, and what I’ve seen could fill a book.”  (p. 109)

As soon as they saw us, the chickens began to cluck and squawk.  That’s one of the things I liked best about keeping chickens, how they fussed when I showed up, like I was some big treat they’d been waiting for all day.  (Tobin, p. 111)

You might not know it, but you can get to missing a chicken.  (Tobin, p. 194)

I used to think chickens were dumb, and now I don’t.  I never would have thought you could be friends with a chicken, but now I do think that.  So how come I changed my mind?

Maybe I got to liking chickens because my chickens were like me.  Not as dumb or prehistoric as you might think after you studied on them some.  (Tobin, p. 200)