Life Lessons from Grandpa and his Chicken Coop by Jacob Paul Patchen

Subtitled 'A Playful Journey through some Serious Sh*t' (asterix the author's own) this is a humorous look at growing up in a family where Grandpa happens to keep chickens.

We start with a young Jacob, preparing to play army in the woods,

'..for those who have never had the pleasure of playing army with me in the woods, let it be known that I am pretty much invincible. Matter of fact, I am invincible. I have just too many force fields, extra lives and magic sticks.'

We find him smearing what he thinks is camo paint onto his face and hands only to find out it's actually his mother's cleansing mask. She then captures the moment on camera and sticks the picture on the fridge so he never forgets.

From here we follow Jacob through his early life, full of traditions and love, as he grows up. focussing on the importance of his grandfather Charlie's chicken coop and his chickens, who were free range during the day.

With dramatic descriptions of collecting eggs, the evening herding of the chickens from their roost trees to the coop, protecting the chickens from predators and cleaning out the coop, the book offers an entertaining account of looking after chickens, and the life lessons to be learned from this.

Along the way the book also touches on aspects of rural living including responsible gun ownership and sustainable rabbit hunting

'We killed only what we would eat, we did not waste, we killed quickly and humanely, and although the thrill of the hunt was definitely there, we all still experienced a respected sadness in the taking of an animal's life.'

but most importantly it describes one extended family's philosophy of helping each other and always being there for the people they love.

Well worth reading, Life Lessons from Grandpa and his Chicken Coop is available here.

Disclaimer, I received a free e-book to review.