Gracie the Purple Chicken
About the Author
"Gracie the Purple Chicken" was inspired by the author's beloved & adopted chicken named Gracie...and yes, she really is purple!
Gracie's story begins with being adopted and going to live in a new family where Gracie struggles to feel accepted; Gracie was rejected, teased and bullied by "Miss Bossy Pants" and some other chickens until "Champ the Dog" stands up for Gracie! In real life, our dog rescued Gracie from the bullying hens & alerted us to come help! We found Gracie badly pecked. We cleaned her off & drove to the feed store to buy a medication for her injury. A farmer at the feed store overheard what happened and suggested a specific spray, " Here, spray this on her, and the bullying will stop".. We did just as the farmer said, & to our surprise, Gracie's feathers turned PURPLE! After turning purple, Gracie was more confident and happy- the bullying stopped! Gracie began doing things she had never done before...like flying to the top of the hen house and up in the tree where she would look out over the vineyards and sunflowers and sing!
A favorite part of the story is when Gracie has a dream where Champ breaks off hurtful words and blesses her with kind words that heal her spirit and fill her with joy. When she wakes, Gracie is transformed with a crown and purple feathers!
Champ and Gracie start a no-bullying club and teach Miss Bossy pants that if you see someone being bullied, you should stick up for them.
Gracie is a 2nd grader and Champ is her 3rd grade friend.
About the Artist
Award-winning Napa Valley artist Dave Huddleston has supplied the
illustrations for "Gracie, the Purple Chicken". This latest of several
children's books he has illustrated, or illustrated and co-written, was
of special interest to Dave because of the important message about
bullying and recognizing and respecting the unique qualities in others
instead of making fun of their differences.
To view more of Dave's art visit Facebook and type in
davehuddleston.
Reviews of "Gracie the Purple Chicken"
Take a stand with Gracie and Champ against bullying and send us a message.