Parrots Over Puerto Rico tells two stories. One is about the rescue and recovery of the Puerto Rican parrots; the other is the history of the island.
Above the treetops of Puerto Rico flies a flock of parrots as green as their island home. The parrots lived on the island for millions of years, and then almost vanished when humans nearly caused their extinction.
The story is told beautifully in an easy to understand narrative. I really liked how the author's conveyed how intertwined the impact the island's development had on the birds. Another point to praise is the sense of hope that permeated the whole story, both with the text and pictures. That can be a huge challenge when the topic is about the loss of a species. What will draw readers in to this stunning informational book are the illustrations, done in Roth's paper-and-fabric collages. You will want to look at them again and again.
Parrots Over Puerto Rico was chosen as the 2014 Robert F. Sibert Winner by the American Library Association. It is a great book to share with your children, regardless of their age.
