Review by Booklist Review
Happy accidents don't get much more serendipitous than in this slender chapter book about a little girl and her desire for a blue china bird. Each Saturday morning, Violet Mackerel rises at 5 a.m. to help her mother and older siblings pack the car for the Saturday market. Mama sells knitted wares, Nicola sells earrings, and Dylan busks on his violin. Violet thinks up brilliant plots that teeter on elaborate daydreaming, all in the hope of raising enough money to buy the small figurine on a fellow seller's table. Violet has a marvelous world view that allows her to feel the joy of giving a present rather than making a sale. When Violet finally holds the blue china bird in her hand (for who can doubt that she eventually will?), it is the result of the best laid plans going wonderfully awry. Debut author Branford and illustrator Allen offer up a charming new chapter book star, who is sure to appeal to fans of Sara Pennypacker's Clementine or Paula Danzinger's Amber Brown.--Dean, Kara Copyright 2010 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by School Library Journal Review
Gr 1-3-Every Saturday seven-year-old Violet Mackerel accompanies her mother, sister, and brother to the local market where her mother tries to sell her knitted goods. When she covets a special blue china bird but does not have 10 dollars to pay for it; she needs to concoct a brilliant plan to come up with the money. Can she try digging in her backyard to unearth ancient dinosaur bones? Will she be able to think of something she can knit and sell? This is a sweet story about a likable little girl who just longs for something small. While Violet is still a unique character, she is much more subdued than Judy Moody or Junie B. Jones, and there is definitely an audience for a quiet but creative heroine. Black-and-white drawings, some full page, add touches of whimsy and humor. A charming easy reader that also serves as a thoughtful, gentle read-aloud.-Elizabeth Swistock, Jefferson Madison Regional Library, VA (c) Copyright 2012. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Horn Book Review
Seven-year-old Violet Mackerel has one firm belief, which she calls the Theory of Finding Small Things: when you have a really great idea, you will find something small and special on the ground as confirmation. One day, when she is admiring a particular blue china bird at the outdoor market where her mother sells her knitting, she spies a red button. That settles it: the bird is not just a wish but an important idea. Its an idea, however, that costs ten dollars, which is ten more than Violet has at the moment. Violet wants to raise money like her older siblings do when they need something, but she knows that in order to obtain the beautiful blue bird, she needs a "brilliant plot." Her plan for digging up something of archaeological significance ends with nothing more than a torn-up backyard. Her next plan (to sell one of her own creations at the market) backfires in the best possible way when she decides to give the item away to someone who needs it -- and sets off a chain of events that eventually leads to her hearts desire. Violet is a true original: a complicated heroine for new readers who is neither stereotypically spunky nor silly. She needs her mothers gentle guidance but is able to solve little problems all by herself. Will there be a sequel? Lets hope so. (Final illustrations not seen.) robin l. smith (c) Copyright 2012. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
A collection of small things and a generous gesture win Violet Mackerel the Blue China Bird she's admired for weeks at the Saturday-morning market. While her mother and sister sell their crafts and her brother plays the violin, Violet has time to visit the other vendorsespecially the seller of china birdsand to plot, imagining ways to earn the $10 she needs to buy her favorite. Thinking "outside the box" as her mother advises, she experiences a series of failures. But in the box of her mother's knitting disasters she finds something she can transform into a desirable, sellable object. The gentle, present-tense narration reflects the thinking of an imaginative and quite determined 7-year-old, following the model of elders who envision goals and work toward them. She's not always realistic about her own abilities. Her theory of the importance of small things mirrors the series of small moments that make the story. First published in Australia, where it was a Children's Book of the Year Honour Book and followed by three sequels, this title has been slightly edited and re-illustrated for its U.S. edition. Allen's grayscale drawings enliven almost every page. (Final art not seen.) Violet and her family are original and appealing, a lovely addition to any chapter-book collection of characters. (Fiction. 5-9)]] Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.