Mo

...and will be for a long, long, time.

...that Mo is a part of the family....

And nobody sneezes.
Nobody has itchy eyes.
And everybody realizes...

He snuggles every chance he gets.

Every day he stands in the tub and squawks
until someone turns the shower on for him.

Sometimes he's naughty.

"Like cleaning up after a toddler," complains Grandma.

Opera is his favorite.
He sways back and forth and clucks along with the orchestra.

Mo is not kind to the plants.
He likes to pick at the leaves and flowers with his big beak.

He always says to them, "You be nice! You be nice!"
The cats like him.

At first they worry about the cats.
But Mo is a big bird with a sharp beak.
He has lived with cats before.

so he gets lots of "Jeffrey rides".

He likes Jeffrey.
Jeffrey doesn't stay in one place for very long,

Mo and Grandpa nap together every afternoon.

He helps with all the chores.

He only makes messes in his cage.
They let him fly around the house.

So Mo comes back downstairs to live in the busiest part of the house.

But Mo is lonely.
He wants to be with people.

They try putting him on the terrace.
They think that he might like the air and the view.
And nobody will be allergic.

The very next day, Mo gets his own house.

As Grandpa leaves the room, he hears a little voice say,

"Goodnight. Sleep tight."

Grandpa cleans up the food mess.
He puts newspaper down for the night.

They decide to wait and see.
They give Mo fresh water and put him on his coat rack perch.

Jen wants to give it a try but she's a little worried.
The last family that tried to rescue him had allergies and couldn't keep him.
That's why Grandpa brought him home.

After dinner the adults talk. Mo is a rescue bird.
He lived with a very old woman for 12 years.
For a parrot, he is young, and he will live a long long time.

Jeffrey gives him a little desert. He's a very messy eater.

In his little dish, Mo ate everything that the family ate.

Jeffrey gets close to meet Mo.
Mo looks at him out of one eye...

Jeffrey giggles with excitement.

Grandma keeps the food warm.
Jen runs to get Jeffrey.

Jen looks at the big blue bird.
The big blue bird looks at Jen.
And then, as plain as anything,
the bird says, "Grape please".

Grandma loves parrots.

Where on earth did he come from?

She is so surprised that she almost drops the plate.

Grandpa says that the bird is friendly. He doesn't bite.

She hears the door, and in walks Grandpa.
On his shoulder is a huge blue bird.

She sets the table before she changes her clothes.

Grandma cooks a big supper.
When Jen comes home, everything is ready.

Tuesday afternoons Grandpa plays Scrabble with his friends.
After, he will come home for supper.

MO

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