It's funny how I didn't pay much attention to author names when I was young, because now that I'm rereading a lot of my childhood books I'm realizing I had quite a few from Dick King-Smith, and they're always fun and well-paced.  I still enjoyed reading this, even as an adult.  This one I remember liking a lot as a kid and it brought back some fond memories.  I remembered everything from it as I was reading it again.  My favorite scenes are the ones with the birds talking to each other, or what they're thinking.  They bring a lot of comedy to the book and I think the way the author writes their thoughts is pretty comical.  There isn't a whole lot of character growth, but we do see Jack growing up along with Oliver the Ostrich and how his passion for birds ends up granting him opportunities and experiences.  To me, this is the most valuable thing the book has to offer.  If you're passionate about something and work hard at it, you can make something of yourself.  It's a kids book, but even something as niche as having a way with birds grants Jack the opportunity as a zookeeper for the ostriches by the end of the book.  It's aspirational for kids and a good reminder for adults.