… I’m going by the pet shop. I know Grayfellow, too. I’ll take the parrot back. Can I?”
Jessie was puzzled. “Thanks, Arthur, but don’t you want to keep looking for your cat?”
The boy bit his lip and stared down at his sneakers. “Um … never mind. I have to go home. I’m late.” And with that, Arthur Byrd ran down the street.
Benny noticed something Arthur had left behind. He bent down and picked up a small package of sunflower seeds. “Hey, Arthur,” he called after the boy, “you forgot your snack.”
“That’s so strange,” Violet said to Jessie. “How did Arthur know it was Grayfellow in the tree? And why would he want to take him back to the pet shop instead of searching for his cat?”
Jessie looked down the street. “That was strange. And I wonder why he’s way over on this side of Greenfield looking for his cat. He lives on the other side of town. He’s so shy. If he hadn’t left so fast, we could have asked him.”
“Maybe Arthur can’t have a real pet, so he made up a pretend pet,” Benny suggested.
Jessie mussed Benny’s curly hair. “You might be right about that, Benny. He’s always by himself. Well, at least we found one pet. I guess we’d better see what we can do about getting Grayfellow back to the pet shop. We can do it without Henry, I guess.”
Benny dug into his pocket again. “I have sunflower seeds, too. Let’s see if Grayfellow wants a snack.”
As soon as the parrot saw the delicious seeds, Grayfellow stretched out his long claws. One by one, branch by branch, the African gray parrot made his way down the tree to the lowest branch.
Benny held up a handful of seeds, then whistled.
Grayfellow studied Benny, Violet, and Jessie. With a flutter of his wings, he flew onto Benny’s arm. Now that Grayfellow was safe, Benny stayed as still as possible. He wanted the bird to trust him. “Here, boy. Here, boy,” he whispered.
“Here, boy. Here, boy,” Grayfellow said back. Then the parrot got to work on those sunflower seeds.
Like most African gray parrots, Grayfellow was a good talker. He knew about ten words, and Benny wanted to hear them all. The children took turns feeding Grayfellow. The parrot hopped onto Violet’s arm and began to play with the pretty bracelet she had made the summer before.
“Now, now.” Violet stroked the bird’s soft gray head. “Don’t unhook my bracelet. Just play with it until we take you back to Mrs. Tweedy.”
“Tweedy, tweedy,” the bird said.
“That’s right. Mrs. Tweedy.”
Grandfather chuckled when he arrived with Henry. “I told Henry we wouldn’t need a ladder. I knew you three would get that bird down from the tree on your own. I wonder how he got loose in the first place. Agnes Tweedy is pretty careful with all her animals.”
“On sunny days,” Jessie began, “Mrs. Tweedy likes to take Grayfellow out of his cage and put him on an open perch in the store window. If that little door to the store window was left open by mistake, he could have flown out the little door, through the store, and right outside! Even with clipped wings, Grayfellow can fly … just not too far.”
Grandfather Alden nodded. “You know, that’s true. Only last week when I was picking up dog food, Grayfellow was loose in the store. He landed on my arm and started pecking at my watch.”
“Watch! Watch!” the bird squawked again, and everyone laughed.
Mr. Alden drove slowly into Greenfield. He avoided every bump along the way so Grayfellow wouldn’t get upset in the car.
Benny loved having a parrot in Grandfather’s car. He hoped everyone in Greenfield was watching. “Know what?” he asked. “How come Grayfellow was all the way on Maple Street if he can’t fly too far?”
“Hmm,” Grandfather Alden said, turning up Main Street. “That’s a good question, Benny.”
CHAPTER 2
Feathers, Fins, and Fur
Mrs. Tweedy was at the curb as soon as Grandfather Alden’s car pulled up. “Thank you so much, James, for
Jessie was puzzled. “Thanks, Arthur, but don’t you want to keep looking for your cat?”
The boy bit his lip and stared down at his sneakers. “Um … never mind. I have to go home. I’m late.” And with that, Arthur Byrd ran down the street.
Benny noticed something Arthur had left behind. He bent down and picked up a small package of sunflower seeds. “Hey, Arthur,” he called after the boy, “you forgot your snack.”
“That’s so strange,” Violet said to Jessie. “How did Arthur know it was Grayfellow in the tree? And why would he want to take him back to the pet shop instead of searching for his cat?”
Jessie looked down the street. “That was strange. And I wonder why he’s way over on this side of Greenfield looking for his cat. He lives on the other side of town. He’s so shy. If he hadn’t left so fast, we could have asked him.”
“Maybe Arthur can’t have a real pet, so he made up a pretend pet,” Benny suggested.
Jessie mussed Benny’s curly hair. “You might be right about that, Benny. He’s always by himself. Well, at least we found one pet. I guess we’d better see what we can do about getting Grayfellow back to the pet shop. We can do it without Henry, I guess.”
Benny dug into his pocket again. “I have sunflower seeds, too. Let’s see if Grayfellow wants a snack.”
As soon as the parrot saw the delicious seeds, Grayfellow stretched out his long claws. One by one, branch by branch, the African gray parrot made his way down the tree to the lowest branch.
Benny held up a handful of seeds, then whistled.
Grayfellow studied Benny, Violet, and Jessie. With a flutter of his wings, he flew onto Benny’s arm. Now that Grayfellow was safe, Benny stayed as still as possible. He wanted the bird to trust him. “Here, boy. Here, boy,” he whispered.
“Here, boy. Here, boy,” Grayfellow said back. Then the parrot got to work on those sunflower seeds.
Like most African gray parrots, Grayfellow was a good talker. He knew about ten words, and Benny wanted to hear them all. The children took turns feeding Grayfellow. The parrot hopped onto Violet’s arm and began to play with the pretty bracelet she had made the summer before.
“Now, now.” Violet stroked the bird’s soft gray head. “Don’t unhook my bracelet. Just play with it until we take you back to Mrs. Tweedy.”
“Tweedy, tweedy,” the bird said.
“That’s right. Mrs. Tweedy.”
Grandfather chuckled when he arrived with Henry. “I told Henry we wouldn’t need a ladder. I knew you three would get that bird down from the tree on your own. I wonder how he got loose in the first place. Agnes Tweedy is pretty careful with all her animals.”
“On sunny days,” Jessie began, “Mrs. Tweedy likes to take Grayfellow out of his cage and put him on an open perch in the store window. If that little door to the store window was left open by mistake, he could have flown out the little door, through the store, and right outside! Even with clipped wings, Grayfellow can fly … just not too far.”
Grandfather Alden nodded. “You know, that’s true. Only last week when I was picking up dog food, Grayfellow was loose in the store. He landed on my arm and started pecking at my watch.”
“Watch! Watch!” the bird squawked again, and everyone laughed.
Mr. Alden drove slowly into Greenfield. He avoided every bump along the way so Grayfellow wouldn’t get upset in the car.
Benny loved having a parrot in Grandfather’s car. He hoped everyone in Greenfield was watching. “Know what?” he asked. “How come Grayfellow was all the way on Maple Street if he can’t fly too far?”
“Hmm,” Grandfather Alden said, turning up Main Street. “That’s a good question, Benny.”
CHAPTER 2
Feathers, Fins, and Fur
Mrs. Tweedy was at the curb as soon as Grandfather Alden’s car pulled up. “Thank you so much, James, for
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