The Parrot Family is an early and previously unpublished story by Frank
Sheldon Anthony, best know for his Gus and Me stories. Written around
1900, The Parrot Family shows the same dry humour and attention to local
details that made the Gus and Me stories so popular. The story follows
the adventures, or misadventures, of the Parrot family-particularly the
two children James and William- in the Taranaki region around the turn
of the century, as they find their own amusement in rural Taranaki. As
well as being an entertaining story of childhood country life, The
Parrot Family offers a unique look at life in rural New Zealand around
1900, written by someone who lived it. The book also contains a foreword
by D B Hann, author, and university lecturer on western culture,
describing the author's life and writing.