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I Wanted to ‘Close The Circle’
Chicken Nibbles teaches readers about chicken behavior through fun art that educates as well as it entertains. What inspired you to write this book?
In 2007, I published Chook Tails. I was caring for my wife and I drew cartoons to escape from the stress of caring full time. After my wife’s death in 2017, I was free to fulfil my desire to have a professional cartoonist redraw my book. I selected the best of the old and added a number of new cartoons. I wanted to ‘close the circle’. This book, like the last, is dedicated to my now ‘late’ wife.
The art in this book is wonderful. What was the art collaboration process like with award-winning cartoonist Mark Lynch?
The idea and caption for the cartoon was always mine. I would describe the scene that I had in my mind. Mark would then draw a draft cartoon and we would gradually refine the cartoon until I was satisfied with the finished product. That process usually took two or three drafts but occasionally I drove him ‘nuts’ with too many refinements.
What is a common misconception you feel people have about chicken behavior?
They can be contained behind a wire fence!
What was one of the most surprising things you have learned about chickens?
Keeping backyard chickens can have a positive impact on people’s lives. They can relieve stress, bring neighbours together and provide a good laugh with their antics.
Author Links: GoodReads | Website
Chicken Nibbles
![Chicken Nibbles: Cartoons About Backyard Chickens by [Alan Corbett]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51wB-GPHaRL.jpg)
Chicken Nibbles (Cartoons about Backyard Chickens) by Alan Corbett provides a humorous look at the behavior of backyard chickens, with comic panels drawn by Cartoonist Mark Lynch. Readers familiar with chickens will recognize common behavior found in hens and roosters that they might have experienced first-hand, and readers new to chickens will learn many funny and unexpected facts about these unique barn yard animals. From aggressive roosters protecting their flock to hens maintaining their pecking order, these cartoons are sure to inspire laughter and bring a smile to the reader’s face.
This was a fun and interesting book, and I enjoyed reading it. Before each cartoon, there was information about common chicken behavior or chicken-related words, and these fun facts were used as the basis for the cartoons. Most of the cartoons were self-explanatory, but there were a few cases where certain Australian terms were used and some additional explanation was helpful to ensure that non Australian readers would be able to understand the joke. The cartoons in this book had a professional appearance, and I liked the artist’s use of bright colors and the individual personalities shown in the chickens’ expressions. My favorite cartoon was the chickens “playing chicken” with rebellious hens sporting a tattoo and piercings and taking a selfie in the face of danger. Many of the cartoons were taken from an earlier book written and illustrated by the author of this book, and it was interesting to compare the two drawings and see the differences between this version and the original cartoons. While most of the cartoons can be enjoyed by readers of all ages, there were a few that are not suitable for young children.
Although the cartoons varied and I did not feel that any of them should have been excluded, there was a bit of repetition in some of the facts. This could have been eliminated by changing the format of the book, so that a specific fact had multiple cartoons following it, rather than a page of information or explanation preceding every cartoon. But these are minor points in an otherwise wonderful book that I highly recommend.
Chicken Nibbles is a unique educational book that teaches readers about chickens in a fun and humorous way that will surely delight and educate readers of any age.
Pages: 116 | ASIN: B08ZKNRHQ4
LITERARY TITAN 