Have you heard that one? The boy is Irving, the rooster is Dorito, and the bookstore is the Toadstool in Peterborough. The rooster crows, and Sy starts reading from What the Chicken Knows to an overflow crowd. Just another day on the chicken circuit.
AudioFile magazine loves the audio edition of the chicken book: “Sy Montgomery is so joyful and enthusiastic while describing her adventures with her flock of chickens that listeners will want to stroke a hen and pick up a rooster just to participate in her positive view of the world. Montgomery is keenly observant and curious. She calls her chickens ‘the ladies,’ and she recognizes each hen’s individual call and personality. She also cites studies demonstrating chicken intelligence but notes they will also mercilessly peck at an injured member of their flock. Montgomery’s desire to restore the natural landscape can collide with her love for her chickens whenever a repopulated critter kills one. Her mixed emotions are obvious: She can’t bring herself to be angry at a natural predator, yet she feels forlorn.”
Chickens are Number 7 on the national Indie Bestseller List for Nonfiction. The list is for the week ending November 10.
Sy shared Fire Chief’s journey at the Planet Action TEDx conference at MIT in Cambridge, Mass. Sy will post the TEDx talk when it’s available.
Popular Hens. What the Chicken Knows has moved up to number two on Boston Globe’s bestseller list for hardcover nonfiction for the week ending November 17.
And the hens are roosting at number 10 on the Pacific Northwest Indie Bestseller List of nonfiction for the week that ended November 16.
The National Council of Teachers of English met in Boston this week for their annual conference. One of the talks was about What it Means to be a Good Creature.