Percy Parrot perched precariously on the edge of his nest. His mama, Penelope, had been teaching him to fly, and today was the big day - his first solo flight!

Penelope puffed up her chest feathers and gave a demonstration. "See here, Percy," she chirped, "it's as easy as one, two..." She soared into the air with a graceful swoop.

Percy, filled with excitement and a teensy bit of fear, took a deep breath and...jumped!

"Whoops!" he squawked as he tumbled head over tail. Instead of soaring like his mama, he was plummeting like a plump, feathered pineapple.

Down, down, down he went, past giggling geckos and surprised sloths. One little monkey even caught him with his tail, but Percy slipped right through - monkeys aren't known for their grip on feathered friends.

"This isn't flying!" cried Percy, flapping his wings furiously. But no matter how hard he flapped, he just spun in circles like a feathered pinwheel.

Just when Percy thought he'd land with a PLOP! right in the middle of a puddle (and parrots HATE baths!), he felt a soft bump.

He opened his eyes to find himself nestled in a big, bouncy bunch of bananas. A gruff voice startled him, "Well, hello there, little fella. What's a bird like you doing in my banana boat?"

Percy looked up to see a burly baboon with a handlebar mustache and a twinkle in his eye. The baboon chuckled, "You're not quite a natural, are you? Don't worry, little one, we all have our clumsy moments."

The baboon gently lifted Percy out of the bananas and back up to his nest. Penelope was frantic with worry. "Oh, Percy!" she cried, "Are you alright?"

Percy, a little bruised but no worse for wear, hugged his mama tight. "I'm okay, Mama," he chirped. "Flying's harder than it looks, but I'll get there! Maybe after a little more practice...and a banana snack!"