As the cat
climbed over
the top of

the jamcloset
first the right
forefoot

carefully
then the hind
stepped down
into the pit of
the empty
flowerpot

Somebody say jamcloset?

Here is a panel from the first one that we are going to make into bookplates. Instead of “this book belongs to” they will say “this book was not thrown away by _______”). Just try to act like you don’t want these!

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Erik P. Kraft . . .

1. Has 6 pet chickens (named Boss Chicken, Suzy Creamcheese, Henny Penny, and The Mandrell Sisters)

2. Has eaten a whole pie on his own on more than one occasion

3. Has been writing ever since he could hold a pencil

4. Is vegetarian

5. Has a son who thinks he is a weirdo (but who thinks being a weirdo is funny)

6. Once had gigantic Elvis sideburns

7. Often performs comedy (or what he thinks is comedy)

8. Can drive a stick shift

9. Went to UMass Amherst

10. Started writing children’s books after taking a class taught by Jack Gantos

11. Started illustrating his stories after having Chris Raschka as an advisor in grad school, who suggested he do it

12. Once convinced a friend in school that Impressionist art was when you carve pictures into potatoes and stamp them in ink

13. Is not superstitious about the number 13

14. Had a picture of Mr. Rogers in his high school locker

15. Was not himself called Miracle Wimp in school (they went more for the cheese names rather than mayonnaise) but knew someone who was.

16. Is colorblind and his outfits reflect his.

I still remember the moment I knew that I had to raise chickens. My two year old was feeding corn to some curious hens at a local pumpkin patch. I watched him giggle with delight as several beaks pecked corn from his hand, and I just knew that backyard chicken farming was in our future.

I had always been a city chic, and knew I had a lot to learn before I could bring home a batch of baby chicks. While my husband and my two little boys built a chicken coop in our garage, I purchased 5 different books about how to raise chickens, and conducted extensive research online. If you’ve ever looked for a “how to” guide for children, you know that my search for a resource to get my kids ready ended in frustration. I knew something had to be done about this void the day I found my six year old pretending to read my two-inch thick Storey’s Guide to Raising Chickens.

With the help of my family, I published Young Chicken Farmers: Tips for Kids Raising Backyard Chickens. It’s a 32-page hard cover book full of color photographs, educational tips, and egg-citing facts on every page. It’s designed for children ages 3-8 years old. The book has already received positive feedback from editors of Hobby Farms and Backyard Poultry magazines. And if you like what Erik likes, he has provided an outstanding review as well!

You can order a book from www.beaverspondbooks.com (you can search by author or title). For a 20% discount, use Coupon Code: chicken. If you’d like to follow our chicken adventures, visit my blog at www.mychickenadventure.com.

Click here to go right to the book page.

We’re not quite there yet, but when we are, the comics will be posted at The Cats In The Alley Tumblr.