MY FRIEND LOUIE had a parrot named Pipo. They were good friends, and Louie would often say to him, "You have a big nose!" Soon Pipo began imitating Louie, repeating in the same tone of voice, "You have a big nose! You have a big nose!"
Every time somebody walked into Louie's home, the parrot would call out, "You have a big nose!" Some people would stop and smile, in sort of an embarrassed way. They'd think the parrot was talking to them. Some would touch their nose to check it for size. Some, even though they knew it was just a parrot talking to them, secretly wondered if what the parrot was saying might be true. I even think that some people, when they got back home, might have hurried to a mirror, while others might have asked everyone around them what they thought of their nose!
Louie's dad, mom, and sister all heard Pipo telling them every day, "You have a big nose!" But they knew it wasn't true. And when they'd had enough of listening to it, they would simply say to Pipo, "Be quiet now." And Pipo would be quiet.
