Because Josh is allowed to get a pet parakeet if he earns the money to buy and care for it, he is a great example of working and saving. I loved that even while trying to earn money, he still took opportunities to help his neighbors without payment. Reading and learning a little about parakeets has made our outings to the aquarium and zoo, which both house parakeets, more interesting.
James thought the part when Josh accidentally pulled a carrot while weeding was kind of funny. He also liked seeing the pictures of different parakeets.
Abbie liked the part when Josh finally gets to go to the store and pick out his parakeet.

My son is in first grade and is reading this for his daily reading. We love the lessons taught in this book about working hard to achieve your goals and showing kindness to others as well as helping those in need! This is definitely a fantastic book for your kids’ library!

This book shows kindness and help. It is really nice.
-Jake, 8

My son loved reading this aloud to me. The storyline is engaging for an early reader. It also sparked my son’s interest in birds, and he got excited to learn more about the birds he was hearing about in the book.

We love this book, and it’s one that gets read repeatedly. My first grader appreciates that he can read it independently and that Josh is a boy he can relate to. As a parent, I appreciate the positive relationships modeled, the valuable messages conveyed, and that the writing is good, not sappy.