In this adventure story that children will love, Survivor, a rooster, tells his story to his best friends Carlos, Sarah, and Dorothy of his journey from the stark conditions of a factory farm to the safe environment of a farm sanctuary. Children will appreciate the joy Survivor feels when he is finally free and able to live in the natural world. They will learn about chickens' natural communications skills like nesting, dustbathing, mothering and other traits. Most important, the children learn about compassion and how we help those in need. The author believes that the key to peace among humans may rest in how well we treat other living creatures that share this earth. The author, Gary Gill, is the long-time Coordinator of the Juniata Valley Vegetarian Society and a vegetarian and then vegan for the last 31 years. The Illustrator, Laurie knight, lives in Central Pennsylvania with a few rescued animals, one of whom was Survivor. She has been a vegan for the past four years and an uninformed vegetarian for 30 years prior to that. On YouTube, she does vegan education and activisms on her channel, Crazy Old Vegan. Also featured is an addendum on the True Story of Survivor, Factory farms, and The Interesting World of Chickens.
About the Author: The author, Gary Gill, has been a vegetarian and then a vegan since 1984. He founded the Juniata Valley Vegetarian Society (JVVS) and has been its long time coordinator. JVVS volunteers advocate for a plant based diet by educating the local community on its health and environmental benefits and to urged recognition and respect for all animals. Gary graduated from Penn State University in 1967 with a degree in Education with a major in Social Studies. He retired after 25 years as manager of the local Job Center, Department of Labor and Industry for the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. At the Job Center, he was responsible for supervising programs that provided unemployment benefits and that helped find jobs and training for the unemployed and underemployed. During the 1980's, he was an activist/coordinator for the Juniata Valley Nuclear Weapons Freeze. In 1987, he led the organization in successfully putting on the ballot in Mifflin County, Pennsylvania, a non-binding resolution: Should the United States join the Soviet Union in a Mutual Nuclear Weapons Test Ban that can be checked by both sides? Mifflin County was the only county in the state to have it on the ballot, and after an extensive educational campaign by local volunteers, 64% of voters in this conservative, small town, rural area, voted for the resolution. He is a lifetime resident of Mifflin County. He has three children, Doug, Chris, and Beth and six grandchildren, Halley, Hannah, Zach, Wyatt, CJ, and Tucker. When he is not fighting for his favorite causes, he likes to hike and backpack the mountains surrounding his home in beautiful central Pennsylvania. Other activities include playing tennis regularly, and kayaking on local rivers. In the summer he also likes the challenge of long distance road biking. In 2015, he challenged himself to ride in one day 144 miles, twice the number of years of his age 72, to raise funds for a local animal shelter called Pets Come First and to bring attention to the health benefits of a vegan diet. Although Gary has written many letters-to-the-editor, leaflets, and newsletters, Survivor, based on a true event, is his first book.