Violet Mackerel's Pocket Protest

August 15, 2014
When Violet and her friend Rose learn that their favorite oak tree is to be cut down, they organize a small protest with a big result. Violet Mackerel returns, now concerned with the Theory of Seeing Small Things, a variation on earlier theories. The small things here are both the consequences of removing a tree in Clover Park-no home for ants and birds, no acorns for children to gather-and the tiny protest signs the girls make, stuff into acorn hats and leave around town. This quiet story, told in third person, is liberally illustrated with grayscale drawings (not seen).Readers need not have read the five previous titles to appreciate Violet and her family, especially her new stepfather, Vincent, who helps the campaign a bit by writing a letter to the newspaper. A subplot, also neatly resolved, concerns Mama and Vincent's efforts to save up for a delayed honeymoon. Aussie Violet's world is just different enough to provide an interesting change for readers entering the chapter book stage. They will quite like the family's Saturday market stall, with its knitted nests and china birds, and they will enjoy the friends' success. A characteristically intelligent entry in a consistently appealing series. (Fiction. 5-9)

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November 1, 2014

Gr 2-4-Sweet and likable Violet and best friend Rose band together to protect their beloved oak tree, which is in danger of being demolished. The latest entry in this charming, Australia-set chapter book series will inspire readers to find their voices and advocate for their own causes, big or small.

Copyright 2014 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

July 1, 2014
Grades 1-4 In her sixth book, Violet and her friend Rose discover that their favorite oak tree is scheduled to be cut down to make way for a parking lot. The two girls come up with some low-key forms of protest, including signs, a petition, messages tucked within acorns and placed around town, and a letter to the newspaper. As in previous installments, Branford manages to make circumstances work out for Violet, a good-hearted kid who can figure out what she is feeling before she speaks. The fortuitous ending may be overly optimistic, but it reads like just desserts. Allen's plentiful illustrations not seen in galley.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2014, American Library Association.)