Book one in the Jasper the Parrot series begins with the hatching of Jasper and his brother Willie and their first adventures in the Rainforest from dealing with dangerous red ants to trying to fly before their wings are ready. Their mum Sally certainly has her work cut out with the two lively characters.

The book is very imaginative and has a lot of poignant moments that will teach children right from wrong, such as not doing something you know is wrong just because someone else wants you too. The two parrots are both humorous and lovable and they were enjoyable to read about.

The book is split into nine chapters which are each quite short and I read the book in under thirty minutes, though a child would probably take longer. It is the perfect size for those that would like to move on for picture books but are not ready yet for longer stories.

My only disappointment is that the book didn’t contain any illustrations, I don’t know whether this is just my advance copy (I checked on look inside on Amazon and didn’t see any either). With the front cover being so colourful and the book being, in my opinion, a step up from picture books, I think it needs at least one illustration, whether colourful or black and white per chapter, but like I said that is just my preference.

Overall, it is a lovely book that will keep children entertained from beginning to end as they follow Jasper and his one day younger brother Willie who finds themselves in some strange, scary, and sometimes amusing situations. It is also educational.

Sharon C. Williams is a native of New England raised in Northern Maine. She lives in North Carolina with her husband and son. She is also owned by a flock of birds.

Sharon has a B. S. degree in Chemistry. She loves to read, sketch, take pictures, walk, exercise, go to the movies, and listen to music. She is a budding bird watcher, and knits on the side. She is a huge sports fan of baseball, basketball, hockey, and football. She is also a shutterbug and is always looking for the next big shot.

Sharon tends to write by long hand as the flow works better for her this way. Her bookshelf consists of works written by Stephen King, Agatha Christie, Bentley Little, and James Patterson. The best advice she has ever received about writing was to write about what you know. Her first thought was, “Yeah right,” but it really is that easy. A writer just needs to know a little tidbit to turn it into a short story, and soon enough, there’s a book.