Fil-Am pens children’s book inspired by his backyard chickens

Filipino American Mike Talplacido is releasing his children’s book, “Chasing New Yolk.” CONTRIBUTED

Filipino American author Mike Talplacido is releasing his children’s book “Chasing New Yolk.”

The book tells the story of Ashley Orpington, a young chick who grows up in a cardboard box with her twin sister in the town of Chickaville. Ashley’s life changes forever when she hears the song of a kind, mysterious Brown Giant, which ignites her passion for music and fuels her dream of moving to New Yolk City to become a singer.

Even though Talplacido has aready written a memoir, he’s always wanted to write a children’s book. “I first wrote my memoir ‘Kiss My Mike,’ which tells the story of my life as a gay Filipino immigrant in the US.”

A recent foray into rearing fowl helped spark the idea for this book. “I didn’t grow up with chickens, but my curiosity was sparked after my husband and I went on a chicken coop tour.”

He then began raising backyard chickens in 2018 at the couple’s home in North Carolina.

“The experience fascinated me. Soon after, we built our own chicken coop and started raising a flock. The joy and learning I experienced while caring for them inspired me to create a fun, heartwarming story about a little chick with big dreams.”

Creativity

The illustrations are by Filipino artist Jan Makasiar. “Jan’s vibrant illustrations bring the characters of Chickaville to life, adding a unique charm to the story, which made our partnership feel like the perfect fit.”

“I actually used the names of my real-life chickens, like Ashley, one of our Orpingtons from the first batch we raised. She was incredibly sweet, so I imagined what her character might be like in a fictional setting while incorporating the real personalities of my chickens.

“Chickens are surprisingly smart. They recognize their names and have distinct personalities, so I tried to capture that in the story.”

More coming

The book is intended to be the first in a series.  “They will center around a positive message, like following your dreams or the importance of friendship.”

“Each book in the Chickaville series explores a different theme, with a new lead character in each one.”

“My goal is to publish one book in the Chickaville series per year. So ideally, the second book will be released next year.”

Talplacido is keeping his eyes out for “exciting opportunities” to hatch from this endeavor. “If a major book deal or even a movie adaptation comes along, I’m open to accelerating the timeline and publishing more of the series sooner.”

“For now, I’m focused on making sure each book is thoughtful and fun while sharing my love for chickens, backyard farming and sustainability.

“I hope Chasing New Yolk encourages readers that anyone can follow their dreams – whether it’s becoming a singer in ‘New Yolk’ or writing a book about chickens!”