Wesley Rose, Margie and Parakeet Trouble

In Saunders’ illustrated children’s book, class pet day is interrupted by a talking parakeet.

Schoolgirl Wesley Rose is unsure about what to do when she’s assigned to bring a pet to school. While she ponders whether or not she can get away with bringing the plastic blowfish she won at a carnival, her best friend Margie wonders what the classroom will be like filled with pets, especially with her parakeet Kiki in the mix. The girls know all too well how much Kiki loves to talk; they’re the ones who taught her. While some of what Kiki says is nonsense, sometimes Kiki tells the truth, even if it’s a secret. Just as they feared, Kiki proves to be a constant distraction at school the next day. When Wesley Rose presents her blowfish to the class, Kiki interrupts: “I’ve got a seeecret. I’ve got a secret.” Then, while Mrs. Hinkle, Wesley Rose’s teacher, conducts a spelling test, Kiki spells out the answers for the kid. Finally, when Mrs. Hinkle has had enough and sends Kiki to the coat closet, the bird falls asleep, snores, and falls off her own perch, creating yet more distractions. When the lunch bell rings, Wesley Rose and Margie want to stay in the classroom to make sure Kiki doesn’t cause more trouble, but Mrs. Hinkle shoos them away. One of their classmates, Kevin, lags behind, and Kiki hears hissecret, one that will lead to Wesley Rose and Margie getting their classmate help with his mysterious problem. Saunders’ second Wesley Rose book is energized by the protagonist’s good-humored personality and Kiki’s silly shenanigans in the classroom. While the narrative feels slightly disjointed when the focus shifts to Kevin, a character who seems to come out of the blue, the hand-drawn illustrations by the real-life Wesley Rose (on whom the series is based) lend an innocent charm to the finer story points.

An amusing addition to a series that is sure to please newly independent readers.