Recently I was invited to do an author visit at Memorial Elementary School in Natick. This was a special treat because the first graders are raising chicks and studying not only chickens, but also other animals that lay eggs!
First I read my picture book What’s Up with This Chicken? and then talked about my inspiration for the book…
Slide of The Blank Page: Where do I get my ideas? Do YOU ever struggle with how to start?
Inspiration: My friend Fay and her chickens!
Then we talked about chickens and chicks. I was amazed! and impressed! with how well they had listened to the book. The plot deals with the concept of broody hens, who refuse to get off their eggs despite their being non-fertilized, due to a super-maternal instinct.
I asked each group, “Why won’t Broody Trudy get off her eggs?”
The answers were wonderful. One of my favorites was a little boy who explained calmly, “Because she thinks there’s an embryo inside.”
And Fay’s real story turned into this book!
I asked the students to tell me things about chickens I might not know, and almost every hand shot up! I ended up learning a lot from these first graders, whose teachers are clearly doing a great job.
PS: And I got to visit a classroom and see their adorable little fluffball chicks!
Thank you, Memorial School!
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