This story reminds me of the saying, "If you love something, set it free. If it comes back to you, it is yours. If it doesn't it never was." The rich man loved the parrot but was too stubborn to give the bird its freedom. The bird was smarter than the man, however, and managed to get his freedom anyway. This would be a good read aloud and might spark a good discussion on lots of topics such as what does the saying above really mean, what does it mean to you, and even is it okay to keep animals in captivity (zoos)?

The rich man and the parrot was a good book about cleverness and learning a lesson in pets and freedom.

Summary: This book tells a story about a rich merchant that had everything he wanted including a parrot. When the parrot asked for anything the merchant would give it to him. Until the parrot asked for freedom. The parrots brothers fooled the merchant, when the parrot sent a message to them and went to the parrots homeland. Just as his brothers fooled the merchant the parrot used the same trick to gain his freedom finally.

Personal Reaction: The bright colors really grab the children’s attention. The story involving a particular animal interests the children. The story teaches them that even though you have everything and all the money in the world, the one thing that makes you the happiest doesn’t cost anything.

Classroom Extension Ideas: I could print off a picture of a parrot and have them color it. Also I can do any kind of exercise having the kids explain or write down what means most to them.

This book is sad. The merchant has a parrot in a cage and will not let it go. In my opinion, it is about trust. The merchant did not want to let the parrot go. He trusted to go to India with the message from the parrot to his brothers. All along, it was a plot for the parrot to escape. It is a cleaver book. ( )

I really enjoyed the message of tis story, and the illustrations. I think children would like this story, especially children who love animals.