Book Discussion Guide

Parrots Over Puerto Rico by Susan L. Roth and Cindy Trumbore

Parrots have a long and interesting history living in Puerto Rico. Since the time that people arrived in Puerto Rico, parrots have faced many challenges to stay alive and continue living in Puerto Rican rainforests. By the mid-1900s, parrots in Puerto Rico were almost extinct! After the parrot population dropped to twenty-four, scientists took action. Through a lot of problem solving, this species has been protected and can still be found flying over Puerto Rico. You and your family will love the beautifully crafted illustrations in this book. Your child will want to spend hours studying these intricate images that masterfully support the text. This book will lead your family to have rich conversations about the consequences of human and natural forces in ecosystems and the interesting history of the parrots in Puerto Rico.

Questions To Talk About
While Reading

Vocabulary

It's important to make sure that your child has an understanding of key words in the book. Talking about words while reading is a great way for your child to learn new words.

In this book, you might talk about these words:

delicate (pg. 3)
settlers (pg. 7)
flocked (pg. 11)
invaded (pg. 13)
aviary (pg. 21)
inspected (pg. 23)
captive (pg. 25)
generators (pg. 29)
released (pg. 33)

You might use a question like:

In the book, what does the word captive mean? How do the authors’ words and phrases on page 25 help you to understand what it means?

Key Ideas and Themes

In addition to words, it's important to talk about key ideas and themes and how they develop over the course of the book.

Here are some examples to get you started:

1
Parrots’ lives changed a lot with the arrival of people! Talk with your child about how the authors describe parrots before the first group of people came. How did the parrots’ lives in Puerto Rico change after the first group of people came?
2
Throughout the book, the authors describe many events that had a negative impact on the parrots, as well as some events that were positive for parrots. Use a T-chart, like the one below, to track and talk about these events. After reading about each event, ask your child to point to the event on his or her chart and answer, “How did that affect the parrots?”
3
Describe the process that led to this statement: “By 1967, only 24 parrots lived in El Yunque.” Encourage your child to use their events chart or to flip through prior pages to explain the events that led to this. How did the US and Puerto Rican governments respond to this problem?
4
Once the scientists began using aviaries to protect the birds, they had to keep thinking of solutions as new challenges came. Point out some of these challenges and talk about how the scientists worked together to solve each one.
5
Read the afterword together. What new information do you learn about parrots in Puerto Rico? You might also ask your child about the afterword by asking: Why did the authors need to include an afterword for this book? What new information is included and how does it add to your understanding of the book’s subject?
6
The book’s illustrations are an amazing part of this book. The cover and endpapers are incredible. What kinds of images did the illustrator choose to use on these pages? Ask your child what the illustrations cause him or her to think even before beginning the story. How does the illustration on the first page help you understand the words in the book?

Extra Activities

1
Parrots over Puerto Rico talks about how humans affect an animal population. With your child, consider how people impact the lives of wild animals in your community, town or city. Go to the library with your child to help him or her research native species of animals in your area. How have their lives changed since your community was established?
2
Parrots over Puerto Rico tells the story of parrots and people in Puerto Rico. Throughout the book, the authors provide dates and a timeline to help you keep track of important events. Also, illustrations are used to help you understand the words and ideas in the book. Ask your child to make his or her own visual timeline. On the top part of the timeline, track 7-8 of the most important events in the parrots’ lives in Puerto Rico. On the bottom part, keep track of 7-8 of the most important events in the lives of people in Puerto Rico. After your child has completed the timeline, ask if he or she notices any connections between the events (the two sides of the timeline). If so, how do these events relate to each other?”