Did You Eat the Parakeet?

Iacolina makes a strong debut with this playful, sly, rhyming whodunit. When a parakeet goes missing from his cage, the narrator, despite a lack of evidence, is certain that the culprit is the cat. “Did you eat the parakeet?” she repeatedly accuses. “Did he become a tasty treat?” she probes further, reminiscing about what a “dashing, handsome fellow” the bird was. Of course, the cat can’t talk back, but his expressions speak volumes as he semi-patiently endures the girl’s laments. With spare, direct text, simple line drawings, and an abundance of visual humor, Iacolina’s style is reminiscent of Mo Willems’s in his Elephant and Piggie series. When the cat clears its name by revealing that the bird has been on top of the girl’s head, where he’s been mirroring her gestures, all along, she apologizes for getting so carried away. It’s a perfect happily-ever-after ending; that is, until the girl starts to wonder: where has the mouse gone? Ages 4–6. (July)