Where Is The Missing Parakeet?

In the first illustration, we see a girl wearing a yellow polka dot dress with a small animal in her pocket. She is standing with her back to a birdcage where a green parakeet is circling around and finally finding a place to land. When the girl turns back around she finds an empty cage. Who better to blame than the cat?

“Did you eat the parakeet? / He was right there on his tiny seat!”

The reader now sees that the bird has come out of his hiding place and is perched on the girl’s head. Cat is perplexed since he can see the bird but continues to get blamed.

“Did you eat the parakeet? / Did he become a tasty treat?”

The girl doesn’t give up on her incriminating questions. And by the illustrations, we can see that the parakeet is fairly
pleased over the fact that the cat is getting scolded.

However, in time, the cat figures out a way to solve his problem. We see him leading the girl to a full-length mirror.

Oops! Now what?

My Thoughts

What Concerned Me: Nothing

What I Liked Best: This rhyming story and illustrations create the perfect whodunit for young children. They will see the humor of what the girl isn’t aware of, plus it will make kids even more mindful of checking expressions and gestures of the characters.

I liked the simplicity and cute ending of the story, as well: the little girl solves the parakeet mystery but then begins to wonder where the mouse is. Again, the illustration will be perfect for the observant child.

Author/Illustrator: Mark Iacolina
Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux ((July 2018)
Approx. Word Count: 151
Pages: 40