Parrot Tales

Parrot Tales introduces us to Charlie Parker, an African Grey Parrot who became part of Debby and Michael Smith's family three decades ago. He joined them at the insistence of their young son, Eli, who found him in a downtown Manhattan bird shop. Since then, Charlie has been an integral and vocal member of the family.

Charlie's vocabulary is astonishingly diverse and colourful. He can be demanding, often squawking imperiously, "Clean my cage" or "Want some water." At times, he can be brutally direct, as when he warned an aggressive business associate yelling at Debby with, "I'm going to kick your ass, you sonofabitch." Mischievously, he has been known to meow at a neighbour's bewildered dog in the elevator.

Charlie is a survivor, having endured the collapse of the World Trade Center which filled the Smiths' apartment with toxic dust, leaving him to recover on an IV. Often an entertainer, his songbook spans from "Home on the Range" to "The Yellow Rose of Texas." Most of the time, he is affectionate, enjoying the chance to hang upside down against his cage and demand tickles.

Through the tales of Charlie in this concise and charming book, we come to realise that parrots are intelligent and loving creatures. As noted by the renowned avian scientist Professor Irene Pepperberg in her introduction, parrots cannot meaningfully be owned by humans but only enjoyed as companions.