I didn't necessarily want to have a farm. I've never pined for a flock of sheep, nor have I ever felt great desire for a herd of children. Chickens, on the other hand...Chickens might be just what I needed. Chickens would bring joy back to life. I would get my own flock of wonderful birds, and my family would come skipping out into the sunlight to enjoy them with me. And even if my family never emerged, I would have a bunch of birds to call my own. The thought delighted me. --Lauren Scheuer

Author and illustrator Lauren Scheuer recounts her experiences raising a small flock of chickens in her memoir Once Upon a Flock: Life With My Souful Chickens. The book includes illustrations of her chickens and a narrative that recounts many of the joys and and problems that are common to the small backyard flock.

Ms. Scheuer has contributed several illustrations to Frost on Chickens: Launch the slideshow