New Children’s Books about Heifer

The Chicken and the Worm by Page McBrier

October 29, 2008 – A Chinese family builds a new home with the help of others, a young boy in Armenia learns the power of selflessness, a chicken and a worm forge an unlikely friendship – these are the stories captured in three new children’s books offered by Heifer International.

Page McBrier, New York Times Best-Selling author of Beatrice’s Goat, drew from her personal experiences with Heifer project partners to write these new books, each of which is set in a different Heifer project country. The new titles now available for purchase are The Chicken and the Worm and Winter in Songming. The books are meant for elementary students in Pre-K and Kindergarten and Third and Fourth grade, respectively.

The Chicken and Worm is a story of friendship, innovation and humor. Warm, colorful illustrations and straight-forward, often humorous dialog introduce young readers to the idea that even the smallest creatures can work together to care for the Earth.

In Winter in Songming, a boy takes his first step into manhood while his village takes a step toward self-sufficiency. This book is a delightful portrait of a community’s pulling together to build a better future.

The books can be ordered by calling (800) 422-0474.

A third book, Once There Was and Was Not: A Modern Day Folk Tale from Armenia, written for Fifth and Sixth grade students, will be available soon.

Along with Beatrice’s Goat, the books are part of Heifer’s newest educational initiative – Global Education Resources. These resources introduce students to the issues of hunger, poverty and environmental sustainability while satisfying educators’ need for quality supplemental materials. The material consists of lesson plans, activities (for inside and outside the classroom), stories, video documentaries and more.

The new resources will help teachers learn more and speak more authoritatively about hunger and extreme poverty, which afflicts more than a billion people around the world. For more information about Heifer Global Education, visit www.heifereducation.org.

Give a Goat

Fans of Heifer books will want to check out Give a Goat, written by Jan West Schrock.

Schrock, daughter of Heifer founder Dan West, writes in this lively work about Mrs. Rowell’s middle school class who is inspired to help families thousands of miles away and how the class’ small gift makes a big difference.

Read an interview with Schrock at the School Library Journal's Web site.

By illustrating the power of giving, Schrock offers a template for people of all ages who want to work together to change the world.

Give a Goat is available from Tilbury House Publishers.