As the daring leader of her group of animals at Holland House, she lives a charmed but dangerous life and in this memoir, Speckles, the Head Chicken, tells it all. She speaks frankly of the many dangers and aggravations she and her sisters are subjected to at the hands, paws and jaws of some of the other farm occupants and a variety of unwelcome visitors. Somewhat grudgingly she also finds space on these pages to tell us about the many pleasures and good times they all enjoy on this very unusual farm. There are Bartel and Rita, the farmers, Chester and Leo, the standard poodles, and Gorky, the pot- bellied pig, who is also her oldest friend. Among the visitors there are Dick, the chicken hawk, and Sardony, the greedy snake. All ends well after a final scary episode involving a large and frightening bear, who joins the fray uninvited and later becomes part of the family. Lea and Herman Thorbecke who recorded this story as told by Speckles, succeed once again in bringing a gripping fable that will amuse and intrigue readers of all ages. There are lots of exciting and funny episodes that are humorously illustrated by Julian Galvan, a talented cartoonist.