About This Book
Reach for this book when your child is grappling with a difficult goodbye or feels 'caged' by their own anxieties and circumstances. It is a profoundly moving choice for children navigating the pain of sibling separation or the heavy weight of grief. The story follows Alastair, a cynical but poetic African grey parrot, and Fritz, a boy struggling with his own physical and emotional limitations, as they both seek a sense of home and freedom. While the book is filled with humor and quirky characters like the elderly widow Mrs. Plopky, it deals honestly with complex emotions including loneliness and the physical manifestations of stress, such as Alastair's feather-plucking. It is best suited for readers aged 8 to 12 who are ready for a story that is as heartbreaking as it is hopeful. Parents will appreciate how it models the difficult process of 'letting go' and finding beauty in unexpected connections.
