"This heart-warming and delightful story will intrigue and interest children while it charms their parents. It is a pleasure to see a children’s picture book that is exciting and amazing yet accessible and accurate. Always Blue for Chicu captures the life and spirit of this fascinating parrot and the saga of his finding a home with people who understand his needs."— Joanna Burger, author of The Parrot Who Owns Me Always Blue for Chicu recounts thirty years of an Amazon parrot’s adventures. Captured as a young bird by smugglers, Chicu frees himself from a market-place cage, is befriended by a kindly sailor, Big Blue, and goes to sea, where he finds a new flock in the sailors on board. When Big Blue goes back to sea, friends agree to care for Chicu. Over many long years, Chicu is handed off from one owner to another until he is brought to a parrot sanctuary where, after a long search, Big Blue finds him again in a heart-warming finale. Karen Dugan includes elements of humor to lighten Chicu's story, a tale that might be similar to that of thousands of other exotic birds that are trapped, smuggled, and sold into lives of captivity. Parrots are long-living birds who flourish in flocks with mates and families, flying freely and happily through the treetops; in their captive existence—which may be fifty or sixty years, or longer—they often endure isolation and a tedious, neglected life without proper care or human attention. Through more than seventy striking, full-color illustrations, Chicu’s story opens a window into the life of these exotic birds whose very beauty leads to their imprisonment, birds whose unique qualities call out for understanding and care. “This heart-warming and delightful story will intrigue and interest children while it charms their parents. It is a pleasure to see a children’s picture book that is exciting and amazing yet accessible and accurate. Always Blue for Chicu captures the life and spirit of this fascinating parrot and the saga of his finding a home with people who understand his needs.” — Dr. Joanna Burger, author of The Parrot Who Owns Me “In her beautifully illustrated Always Blue for Chicu, Karen Dugan captures both the pleasures and perils of sharing one’s life with a parrot. Following Chicu on his wild ride through decades of ups and downs, one might think that these are the experiences of several birds rolled into one. However, many parrots actually live this long, have this many owners, and form complex and powerful bonds with people. Indeed millions of parrots do, and Dugan has skillfully brought this truth to light in a gentle, fun, but always honest manner. This touching and hopeful tale will capture children’s imaginations and win their hearts; I highly recommend it for animal lovers of all ages.” —James D. Gilardi, Director, World Parrot Trust “For anyone who knows, loves, and understands a parrot, this beautiful story of Chicu’s journey will tug at your heart. Karen Dugan’s insight into the souls of parrots is evident both in her story and in her illustrations. This is a book I will treasure.” —Karen Windsor, Executive Director of Foster Parrots, Ltd. "A brilliant tale of environmental stewardship. The stellar illustration and clever story twist keep us smiling as we explore the very serious human failure to preserve space for our animal friends. Shelve this with The Lorax by Dr. Seuss." – L. Russo, Amazon reader The author/artist Karen Dugan , born in New York City, is the prize-winning illustrator or author of 20 previous children's titles. A graduate of the Parson's School of Design, she is also a book-binder and lives a quiet country life in Massachusetts. Used Book in Good Condition