About the Animals
The REAL ANIMALS who helped inspire the 'Once There Was A…' series
Once There Was A…Chicken
This is a picture of 'Chicken', who inspired the story, 'Once There Was A...Chicken'. She was such a sweet chicken who always allowed children to pet her and even pick her up...if they could catch her.
The Real Events That Inspired The Song/Story
‘Once There Was A...Chicken’ was inspired by ‘Chicken’ whose rabbit friend lived with her in her chicken pen. 'Chicken' and 'Rabbit' ate their meals and played together during the day. At night, the two of them snuggled up together in the chicken coop and slept side by side. 'Rabbit' was always trying to dig a hole out of the chicken pen because rabbits burrow and dig any time that they can.
This was nothing personal towards 'Chicken,' just a rabbit acting like a rabbit. Every day, the rabbit would have little holes, and every day, Lisa would fill them in and cover them with rocks so that the rabbit couldn't get out. Well, one day, 'Rabbit' outsmarted Lisa and dug a hole big enough to get out of the chicken pen. When Lisa went out to feed that morning, there was no rabbit to be seen, a chicken laying alone in her coop, and a hole in the ground just large enough for a rabbit to travel through.
This was the beginning of the 'chicken blues.' 'Chicken' stopped coming out of her coop, she wasn't eating the food left for her, and after a week or so, she lost the gleam in her eye. Her feathers started falling out, and she completely stopped laying eggs. This was unbelievable! 'Chicken' was so, so sad. At the time, Lisa ran a school on her small farm, and the children were concerned for 'Chicken,' as it was obvious she was unhappy. So, the children were assigned days and times to spend with 'Chicken', to hold her, pet her, talk, sing, do anything to make her feel loved.
About 2 weeks later, a miracle happened: 'Chicken' started coming out of her coop to greet the children in the mornings, she started eating, her feathers grew back, the gleam in her eye returned, and she started laying eggs again! This was such an amazing teaching moment for the children, and Lisa too! This was the perfect example of how love can make all of the difference in the world.
Once There Was A…Pig
Here is Stinky and Luna from 'Once There Was A...Pig.' This is how they ate every day...side by side. Luna, the rabbit, had to be sure to eat quickly, as Stinky would have been glad to eat both of their meals. :)
The Real Events That Inspired The Song/Story
‘Once There Was A… Pig’ was inspired by Stinky, a pot-bellied pig. Stinky came to live on a horse farm when he was four months old. Soon after his arrival, Luna, the rabbit, traveled with Lisa’s family from Illinois to join the other farm animals at Flowered Rock Farm. Luna and Stinky hit it off, right from the start. They truly enjoyed each other’s company as they ate, dug in the dirt, and snuggled up together on cold nights. Stinky was the only pig on the farm.
Stinky and Luna's stall was surrounded by horses. Sometimes, when children would go into Stinky and Luna’s stall to visit them, the horse, who lived in the stall next door, would wrap his neck around the bend to see what was going on in their stall. It is also true that Luna would often stand up on her hind legs when someone would open the stall door (as you will see she does in the songbook too). Stinky was a very shy pig and a nervous sort. Luna comforted him, and he ran to her if he ever felt uneasy. Luna passed away in July 2009. She was over 11 years old and lived a wonderful life, loved by so many children, adults, and animals too.
For several months after Luna passed away, Stinky seemed lonely and spent a lot of his time sleeping in the corner of his stall, all covered up with hay. Until a very happy day in January 2010 when Carlos, the piglet, came to live with Stinky. Although Stinky will always hold a special place in his heart for Luna, he is happy to have his new roommate to spend time with. Now, Stinky has fun with his buddy digging in the dirt, dumping over water bowls, playing in the mud, and acting like clowns. Who knows?...Maybe someday Carlos will have a book of his own, and Stinky can make an appearance! Wouldn't that be fun? 'Once There Was A...Piglet'!
Once There Was A…Cat
This is a picture of Bob in his usual, playful position.
The Real Events That Inspired The Song/Story
For years, Bob was the only cat on the farm, and he was able to keep most of the mice away all by himself. He would have to work very hard to do so, but he seemed to enjoy it. Lisa has known Bob since he was a little kitten, and he has always been so sweet and friendly. Bob always knows when it is time for breakfast, as he jumps down from the rafters when he hears the first person walk into the farm for the morning chores.
Bob likes for his food bowl to be full all day long, and if it is less than full, Bob will follow you around until it is filled to the rim. Lisa thinks this is because he not only likes to have a fresh scoop of food at all times, but he likes to have enough to share with his friends (especially the ones that come to eat in the night). Bob is a very friendly cat. He is often seen walking along the tops of the stalls in the barn, while visiting the horses and the other animals.
The pony that Bob helps to understand that the night doesn't have to be scary, was inspired by ‘Little Bitty Tom.' Tom is a very small pony and he cannot see outside of his stall, like the other horses and ponies at the farm can. It is also true, that horses and ponies are naturally scared of the unknown as they are preyed upon by other animals when living in the wild. So, sometimes when they hear noises and can't see what it is, they automatically fear the worst. Because they are preyed upon in the wild, they stay together in a herd, so that they can help keep each other safe. Naturally, they feel better when around other animals and when they are not alone. Once horses and ponies become familiar with the sights and sounds around them, they will relax and become comfortable knowing that they are not in danger.
Ponies and children are a lot alike as they can be fearful of things they don’t know or understand. Lisa feels the connection can help children to realize that the dark doesn’t have to be scary. She also feels that it teaches an important lesson about fearing the unknown. In life, children and adults too, are afraid of things, people, and situations they don't understand. It is amazing that once something that was unknown is known, the fear goes away and sometimes a close connection can be made.
