Rebecca Smith
About the Chicken:
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The author was working in a biochemistry lab looking at cells under a powerful microscope. Being an imaginative type, she sometimes saw things in the cells. One day she saw something she just couldn't let go:
Rebecca is a published NIH-funded cancer biologist who also has a master's degree in literature. She has taken her own twin daughters, now adults, through their own mental health journey, and she wants to promote mental health and talk therapy to other children and their parents. Her book was inspired by microscopy work on cancer cells. Being the type of person who sees things in clouds, Rebecca sees things in cells. One day she saw a "funky chicken" through the microscope. She decided to draw it, and Julius the chicken was born.
Research
Lab
This was her first attempt:
She said to herself "that's a funky chicken" (can you find the chicken in the cells?). So, she decided to try to draw it. She was not an artist, but she tried her best anyway.
Then an artist friend suggested some revisions:
After much fiddling, encouragement, and help, she came up with this:
And Julius the Chicken was born.