Fun story, told from King-Smith's delightful imagination. The boy Harry inherits an African grey parrot named Madison from his great-uncle and discovers that the clever bird can not only talk but also carry on conversations, help with homework, play games, offer opinions, and get the dog to obey him. So when Madison (Mad) is stolen, the whole family is bereft. Leave it to the parrot to save himself - with a little help from Harry, of course - and follow up with a surprise ending.
Nobody expects King-Smith's animals to be completely animal (after all, Babe could herd sheep!) but I wish he had done a bit more research before writing about a parrot. He lost me when he described the bird as having a "bare, scaly face." A parrot's face is covered with tiny, soft feathers over smooth skin. And parrots cannot live on "plain parrot seed." Obviously he's never been close to a real parrot.
Other than that, it's an enjoyable story that will tickle young readers.
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