Book Description

Kids who like to laugh will love Emma Tuttle, The Parakeet Girl, who goes everywhere with her pet bird, Henry, on top of her head. But when Henry's fancies turn to a pretty parakeet named Kate, Emma finds herself birdless and blue. Until, that is, she hears an unfamiliar peep-peep from Henry and Kate's cage...

From School Library Journal

Grade 1-3?Emma Tuttle wants a pet, but she can't seem to find the right one. Finally, she is matched with a parakeet, Henry, who becomes her constant companion. All is rosy until he falls in love with another bird, and the little girl becomes jealous. In the end, parakeet babies capture her heart, and Emma is happy again. In spite of the simplistic plot, this story is entertaining. Emma and her parakeet do everything together?watch TV (the bird holds the remote control), go to school (Henry sharpens pencils with his beak), and take piano lessons (he sits on Emma's head). Bollen's cartoon illustrations successfully add to Sadler's light humor and show the child's many emotions throughout the amusing tale. A good choice for beginning readers.

　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　Sharon R. Pearce, San Antonio Public Library, TX

From Booklist

Gr. 1^-3. The language is simple, but the pet story takes lots of unexpected twists and turns in this Step into Reading book with exuberant cartoon illustrations. Emma wants a pet, but the puppy prefers Emma's mom, the kitten makes Emma sneeze, and the goldfish doesn't seem happy to see her. Henry the parakeet turns out to be the perfect pet until Emma's brother gets a parakeet, too, and everything changes. New readers will see that a story can surprise you, and they will appreciate the expressive pictures that show Emma's bond with her pet (perched on top of her head, he is a great hit when she takes him to school) and Emma's sadness when things don't go right.

　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　Hazel Rochman

Card catalog description

Emma tries several pets before she becomes best friends with her parakeet Henry, but she finds that friendship threatened when her brother Bruce buys another parakeet.

Book Dimension

length: (cm)23.1 　　　 　　　　　 　　　　　 width:(cm)15.5