My Fine Feathered Friend

Rating:
Summary: Poultry In Motion
Review: Who knew chickens could be so interesting and funny? When New York Times restaurant critic William Grimes finds a chicken in his New York City backyard, he learns how much surprising personality a chicken can possess. In this hilarious true story, Grimes chronicles how the chicken grew in his esteem from mere baffling presence to a source of constant entertainment. The chicken (simply referred to as The Chicken) co-exists with a cadre of Mafioso-like neighborhood cats, mercilessly making a sport of teasing the most anxious of the felines. The chicken embarks on a surprising and sometimes disquieting diet (chowing down on everything but the lawn furniture) and even survives assault by police helicopter. In between anecdotes, Grimes recounts fun fowl facts and a brief history of chicken breeding. Does this part sound boring? I would have thought so, too. In Grimes' deft hands, the tale is fascinating. (You'll learn why chicken breeding was actually a hot trend amongst the Glitterati as recently as 1944 and why some poor chickens were bred to have tail feathers over 15 feet long.) Grimes also has a delicious sense of humor that delivers chuckles and cackles with every page. Delightful illustrations, too. Engrossing us with a mere 85 pages, Grimes definitely subscribes to the "leave 'em wanting more" school. The book is a terrific, quick read for all -- from small-fry to the hard-boiled -- and would be a wonderful gift for anyone in need of good cheer.