Welcome to the exotic world of ancient Persia! This story is derived from a poem written by the Persian poet, Rumi, and tells the tale of a wealthy merchant who keeps a brightly colored parrot caged in his store to attract customers. The merchant has no sense of how it must feel to be the trapped parrot and instead thinks only of himself and increasing his wealth. Then, one day, the merchant decides to go on a buying trip to the wondrous land of India and he invites each member of his family to ask for one gift to be brought back from his journey. When asked what he would like to receive, the parrot asks the merchant to tell the parrots of India about him and his golden cage. The story has its moral and is set in an exotic and unfamiliar setting which adds a little more mystery to the adventure. The illustrations make the characters come alive with wisdom, wit and humor. Together, they add up to a spicy little tale with a very satisfying and delightfully unusual ending. Ages 5-9 32 pages