Hays will play host to an award winning author and illustrator.  Jan Brett, whose books portray animals in well-known stories, will be signing books at Hastings Thursday at 10:00 am to promote her newest book, Cinders: a Chicken Cinderella.   In addition to having thirty seven million books in print, Brett is also highly acclaimed for the chickens she raises and cares for at her home.

Brett is on a 2 ½ week tour across the country with some of her chickens, including Cinders, the star of her book.  She said that the idea for her latest book came from her speaking with her editor about raising chickens and how sometimes the pecking order shifts when one chicken’s feathers grow in and is all of a sudden the “queen of the roost.”

The book was set in Russia because, as Brett put it, the elaborate architecture and clothing associated with the Russian culture were a perfect fit for the story.  For research, Brett traveled to Russia to immerse herself in the culture to incorporate as much from the area as possible into her story.

The book signing (and possibly a look at the star of the book herself) will be at 10:00 am at Hastings, located at 3300 Vine St in Hays.