“Parrot was very angry indeed. He was also very wet. Although he had heard the cry to abandon ship, and had even seen the sailors jumping into the lifeboat, before he could jump in too, the huge, towering wave swept him spluttering and squawking over the side.‘

After this dramatic start, Parrot, a bird who has forgotten how to fly having spent most of his life on perches or human shoulders, has to learn how to survive in a wide open and at times dangerous sea. But he is not alone, a handful of other animals share his shipwrecked fate and place their trust in him to see them through. Parrot Takes Command is a delightful book full of adult relationship themes covered at a child’s level. It is funny, a little dangerous and is beautifully illustrated.