Masterfully crafted by educators Lea and Herman Thorbecke, and illustrated by the renowned Julian Galvan, ‘Memoirs of a Barnyard Chicken’ takes children onto the farm with a chicken who lives a charmed but dangerous life. Speckles the chicken fuses her daring and fun antics with bold lessons of tolerance, respect and the value of friendship. Life is never dull at Holland House, providing a literary adventure that will have readers of all ages pecking away at the pages with gusto.
Cornelia, GA -- (SBWIRE) -- 09/10/2014 -- Farm life has long been a staple of children’s literature, with narratives almost always told from a human’s point of view. In an engrossing and educational new release by Lea and Herman Thorbecke, Speckles the “chicken in charge” becomes the star of the show as she spills the grain about the good, the bad and the ugly of life at Holland House farm.
But don’t be fooled, ‘Memoirs of a Barnyard Chicken’ isn’t a mindless thrill; the book is chock-full with fun life lessons that will foster tolerance in even the most fair-feathered of readers.
Synopsis:
As the daring leader of her group of animals at Holland House, she lives a charmed but dangerous life and in this memoir, Speckles, the Head Chicken, tells it all. She speaks frankly of the many dangers and aggravations she and her sisters are subjected to at the hands, paws and jaws of some of the other farm occupants and a variety of unwelcome visitors. Somewhat grudgingly she also finds space on these pages to tell us about the many pleasures and good times they all enjoy on this very unusual farm. There are Bartel and Rita, the farmers, Chester and Leo, the standard poodles, and Gorky, the pot- bellied pig, who is also her oldest friend. Among the visitors there are Dick, the chicken hawk, and Sardony, the greedy snake. All ends well after a final scary episode involving a large and frightening bear, who joins the fray uninvited and later becomes part of the family. Lea and Herman Thorbecke who recorded this story as told by Speckles, succeed once again in bringing a gripping fable that will amuse and intrigue readers of all ages. There are lots of exciting and funny episodes that are humorously illustrated by Julian Galvan, a talented cartoonist.
“Herman and I came to the USA almost four decades ago and we operated a small private school in Florida. During this time we became acutely aware that tolerance and respect were perhaps slightly lacking in today’s youth. We then retired and purchased a mini farm, so I guess we’re fusing both experiences to end up with a wholly-unique book!” explains Lea Thorbecke.
Continuing, “While the book imparts important life lessons, it’s never dry. We’ve made sure each page is chock-full of humor, quirk, quips and illustrations that keep children and their families gripped.”
Herman Thorbecke is thrilled to be collaborating with Julian Galvan.
“Julian is not only a world-class cartoonist, but he really understands the philosophy and education/humor blend behind the book. It is one thing to have someone who can draw well, but we’re blessed with an illustrator who really brought the book’s culture to life. Melded with our words, we’ve got something very powerful on our hands. This is our third children’s book to date and I believe it to be our best. A forth is in the making – so watch this space!” he adds.
‘Memoirs of a Barnyard Chicken’, published by CreateSpace, is available now: http://amzn.to/WG9WRG
About Lea and Herman Thorbecke
Lea and Herman Thorbecke who recorded this story as told by Speckles, are experienced educators. Lea, the main author received her training as a teacher in Israel and obtained a masters degree in special ed from the Basel University in Switzerland. They came to the US some 35 years ago and operated a small private school in Florida before retiring. They now reside on a mini farm in the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains in NE Georgia, with Speckles, the "Chicken in Charge" and Chester, the remaining standard poodle, who will also be available for interviews.