Jeremy, Bellamy and Ted, three pirates brave and bold, set out to find treasure with the help of a very annoying parrot. They make their way deep underground, into the dark and the damp. The parrot, away from the sky and the sun and unable to fly, trails behind; repeatedly calling out 'where's the gold?' When they come to something scary in the tunnel, and not knowing what it is, they huddle together in fear. When the parrot, in the confusion, bites Ted on the bottom, the three pirates are convinced there is a monster after them and flee back the way they came; not stopping until they are back safe in their boat and out at sea.
The story is enlivened by two die-cut holes in the pages of the book that lead the reader through the page and into the tunnel, then, at the end, out of the tunnel into the sunshine.
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Pamela Allen is a phenomenon in the world of children's books. In twenty-two years she has produced thirty picture books, many of which have won prestigious awards and commendations both in Australia and overseas. She is the first illustrator to have won the Children's Book Council of Australia (CBC) Picture Book of the Year Award two years running, for Who Sank the Boat? (1983) and Bertie and the Bear (1984). Some of Pamela's other awards include the NSW Premier's Literary Award, the AIM Book Award (New Zealand), the International Board on Books for Young People (IBBY) Honour Diploma for Illustration, and the inaugural Children's Yearly Best Ever Reads (CYBER) Award in Tasmania for Best Picture Book.