The Parrot Tico Tango by Anna Witte Grades K-3 24 pages Barefoot Books August 2005 Paperback     Tico Tango is a parrot who travels through the jungle, arrogantly stealing all types of fruit from the other animals merely because he can. As his journey progresses, he swipes different types of food, adding his most recently stolen goods to what he is already carrying. Tico’s greediness becomes his downfall. When he simply cannot handle any more fruit, he drops everything he has gathered, leaving a virtual feast for the animals who were the victims of his crimes. The jungle animals, then, take the high ground and offer to share their fresh batch of fruit salad with Tico, provided he teaches them how to tango. The story illustrates the benefits of resolving a problem to the benefit of all parties involved, rather than allowing the problem to fester and create an unfriendly and hostile community. The book is a simple one and, if nothing else, children will enjoy this book for the sheer repetition of the types of fruit Tico Tango takes on his crime spree. The bonus here is that the story may be the springboard for a conversation about the benefits of sharing, forgiving, and playing nice with others—behaviors we can always afford to incorporate into our daily lives.   web reviews   Lori West/2007 for curled up with a good kid's book   For grown-up fiction, nonfiction and speculative fiction book reviews, visit our sister site Curled Up With a Good Book (www.curledup.com)