Unusual Chickens for the Exceptional Poultry Farmer

by Kelly Jones

Jones, K. (2015). Unusual chickens for the exceptional poultry farmer. New York, NY: Alfred A. Knopf.

12-year-old Sophie Brown is a city girl from L.A. who has been uprooted from her home after her father lost his job and her Great-uncle Jim passed away leaving her family his run down farm.  There are not many people around their new home, and the few people she does meet automatically assume she's a poor, migrant worker.  While rummaging around in the barn she comes across a flyer from the Redwood Supply Company for "Unusual Chickens for the Exceptional Poultry Farmer."  To make things more interesting for herself, she decides to request a catalog, hoping to order perhaps some chickens, or even ducks or a peacock.  The story is told in a sequence of letters to the Redwood Supply Company's owner Agnes, her late Great-uncle Jim, and her dearly beloved, deceased abuelita.  As Sophie learns as much as possible about caring for chickens through Agnes' lessons and letters and from library books, chickens with some rather unusual behaviors begin making their way to the farm.  Sophie quickly becomes attached to these extraordinary chickens and does her best to care for them properly.  However a neighboring farmer also shows interest in these very special chickens and seems determined to steal them for herself.  A determined Sophie must foil the plot of the chicken thief and makes a few new friends in the process.  Facts and descriptions of a variety of chicken breeds, and chicken care information, add to the authentic chicken care element.  This 2016-2017 Bluebonnet nominee is recommended for grades 3-5.

Activities and Resources

Book Trailer for Unusual Chickens for the Exceptional Poultry Farmer

Interview with Author Kelly Jones

Interview with Illustrator Katie Kath