A captivating testament to the mutual rewards and delights of keeping chickens, by the Sunday Times bestselling author of The Flower Yard

Most of us want a dog, or a cat, or a pony when we are young – but for Arthur Parkinson, it was always hens. Growing up in an ex-mining town in Nottinghamshire, the other kids in the playground called him 'Chicken Boy'. The quiet fulfilment of keeping hens became his sanctuary, a tonic for mental and physical health, a connection with his family and the natural world. Illustrated with Arthur's own characterful watercolours and photographs of his ‘girls’, Chicken Boy is a one-of-a-kind memoir of a life in nature.

Poetic... Parkinson writes with great lyricism... His knowledgeable enthusiasm is infectious -- Bee Wilson * Sunday Times *
A joy from the very first page. Arthur's beautiful, lively and accurate drawings of these enchanting feathery people are irresistible, and I just love the way he writes. I am now jealous of fox-free areas where chickens may be kept. The photographs are award-winning: the whole thing is bliss -- Joanna Lumley
An author whose writing is as unashamedly ebullient as his dazzling displays * Gardens Illustrated *
This hugely informative, joyful and amusing book has me desperately wondering and hoping that I could, after all, find space in my small garden for a few chickens. Maybe the rhubarb will have to go -- John Wright, author of THE FORAGER'S CALENDAR

Arthur Parkinson is the author of The Pottery Gardener and The Flower Yard, and the co-host, with Sarah Raven, of the popular Grow, Cook, Eat, Arrange podcast. His writing and photography are regularly featured in the Daily Telegraph, and have appeared in The Times, Country Life and Country Living, among other magazines and newspapers; he has also featured in BBC Two's Gardeners' World.