For the last three years I have reprinted Randy Graham’s (of Randy’s Chicken Blog) reviews of chicken books. One of the kids’ books that he featured in the 2024 year end list was written by Australian author/illustrator Anita Sachlikidis.
She recently reached out to me with this comment, “First off, I just want to say fantastic job on your blog! I love it. Great balance of humour and solid information. Chickens are such underrated animals when it comes to personality, intelligence and character, so it’s always wonderful to see more people giving them the attention they deserve. Recently, my husband came across your post, “Good Reads For Poultry Lovers” and we were both delighted to find one of my books on your repost of Randy’s list. It’s always such a thrill to see something you’ve created mentioned in a positive light, and I got a real kick from seeing ‘Archie and the Accidental Chicken Heroes’ included on the list.”
This is the 31st installment in my series When Art Meets Chickens: profiles of artists, crafters and, like this case, writers who feature chickens in their work.
Who are you and what do you do?
I’m a children’s book author/illustrator. My professional background is in I.T. but after starting a family I decided to make a career change to writing. I write stories for middle-grade and younger readers and, as of February, have six published works. I live in Cairns, Australia with my wonderful husband, two high-energy kids and a small flock of quirky, free-range chickens.
How does that influence your work?
Right now, my children are at the perfect age to enjoy the books I create, making them an ideal audience. I draw inspiration from their day-to-day activities as well as the funny things that they say and do. There’s nothing more rewarding than creating stories that they and their friends enjoy reading. The same goes for my chickens – they’re always getting into mischief and their entertaining antics usually make their way into my stories. My debut book “Archie and the Accidental Chicken Heroes” was inspired by my real-life chickens, who are now forever immortalized through their Super Chicken alter egos.
What’s your history with creating art and how has it changed over time?
As a child I was always reading, writing stories and drawing. I studied art at school and loved to share original cartoon drawings with my friends. After I began my career as a writer, I was keen to rekindle these long-dormant artistic skills to capture the characters of my stories in my style. To do this, I needed to upskill and complete some courses so I could take my illustrations from simple pencil sketches to print-ready digital format. Chickens are by far my favourite thing to draw and I love creating artworks that depict their amusing behaviours and individual personalities.
What work is most fulfilling?
As someone who loves chickens, being able to work chicken characters into my writing and illustrating is super fun. When I’m looking for creative inspiration, I take a lot of chicken photos and spend time just sitting and watching my girls in the backyard. Bringing chicken personalities to life through my sketches as well as creating imaginary chicken adventures is very satisfying.
What memorable responses have you had to your work?
I’ve had some wonderful feedback from parents and children about how much they’ve enjoyed my books, including appreciation from the other side of the world. I think chicken enthusiasts find great appeal in seeing chickens featured in leading roles. My children and our friends who are familiar with our flock also get a kick out of seeing the chicken characters brought to life in the books I write.
My boys absolutely loved this book – action, creativity, plot, and the super heroes being chickens was AWESOME! – Quote from a review
What motivates you to create?
I’m very passionate about the benefits of literacy in children and the importance of reading – both independently and being read to. As a writer, I try to create books that are engaging and entertaining – stories that encourage children to start reading and keep reading.
Describe your experience with chickens
I grew up on a farm and chickens were a big part of my childhood. I took care of the entire flock, raised chickens from babies and even cared for a special blind hen named Big Black One. After our children were born I reintroduced chickens to our lives, and over the years we have had many wonderful feathered girls join our family. We love them and care for them, and they reward us with chicken cuddles (often), early morning wake-ups (too often) and eggs (not often enough).
While the make-up of our flock varies, some of our girls over the years have included our big whistling Silver Sussex (Olive), grumpy Wyandottes (Rosie and Skittle), nosy, bossy ISA Browns (Pinkie, Binnie, Honey, Coco, Lola and Lolo), silkies (the Smalls) and finally, our round little Pekin/Bantam Orpington babies (Mimi and Pip).
How have they impacted your life and inspired your work?
Chickens make fantastic pets. My chickens see themselves as part of the family and have very clear and definite expectations when it comes to their food and attention. Their individual personalities and traits are great to build on when creating characters and storylines. And if anyone is having a difficult time or has had a bad day, sitting quietly with a chicken under one arm always seems to make things better. They help my children work through strong emotions and big feelings and provide a calming influence for our entire household. With all this in mind, it’s no surprise that chickens play a prominent role in my work, and I’m always excited to spread the word about the joys of keeping these wonderful creatures.
Thanks to Anita for sharing her work and images, used with permission. You can find her on Facebook and through her website
Bitchin' Chickens 
Very interesting – Thanks for showing us behind the scenes
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