Violet Mackerel's natural habitat

Review by Booklist Review

The ever-curious, often-pensive, imminently imaginative Violet Mackerel is considering the natural habitats of ladybugs and sparrows and little sisters. Confident that her rank as the smallest in her family fosters a natural sympathy for all small things, Violet fashions a warm, safe home in a jar for a tiny ladybug from the backyard. When Violet makes an unpleasant discovery the next morning, she turns to her older sister, Nicola, who is in a stage of perpetual grump and struggling with a natural science project for school. Violet's sweetness and Nicola's humble patience make for an endearing story of sibling relations in this third book in the Violet Mackerel series.--Dean, Kara Copyright 2010 Booklist

From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.

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Review by School Library Journal Review

Gr 1-3-In this beginning chapter book, seven-year-old Violet Mackerel has a soft spot for Small Things, being one herself. She notices a sparrow trapped inside the local shopping mall and the ladybugs in her backyard. After being told to "buzz off" by her big sister, Nicola, for suggesting that she could use the ladybugs for her natural-science project, Violet decides to conduct her own experiment. She finds a jar and creates what she thinks is the perfect ladybug habitat. In the morning, "Small Gloria" is "the wrong way up," and the sisters offer each other some comfort. They work together to create a life-cycle ladybug project without removing any more of the insects from their natural habitats, and Nicola is awarded a special honorable mention for her project. Black-and-white pencil sketches placed strategically throughout provide additional plot support. The sweet and whimsical nature of the story will appeal to many readers.-Amy Commers, South St. Paul Public Library, MN (c) Copyright 2013. 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.

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Review by Horn Book Review

The youngest in her family, Violet has always felt a kinship with small things. In this third entry in the series (Violet Mackerel's Brilliant Plot, rev. 9/12; Violet Mackerel's Remarkable Recovery, rev. 1/13), she dreams up the Theory of Helping Small Things: "If you do something to help a small thing, that small thing might find a way to help you." Violet is feeling especially insignificant because the family's attention is focused on grumpy older sister Nicola's science project. When Violet befriends a tiny ladybug and accidentally causes its death, the sisters come together in a surprising and altogether authentic way. Soon Nicola is quietly sewing and beading a ladybug life-cycle display for her project, while Violet assists by looking up information in the encyclopedia. Violet's voice and good spirit is what readers will remember: thoughtful, caring, and with the right amount of self-absorption to mark her as a seven-year-old. Fans will appreciate how Violet has matured over the course of the series. The changes in the sisters' relationship, forged in the absence of parental interference, make this entry the best in the series so far. Like Ann Cameron's The Stories Julian Tells, this is an excellent example of a chapter book that takes new readers seriously. Art unseen. robin l. smith (c) Copyright 2013. 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.

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Review by Kirkus Book Review

Seven-year-old Violet's Theory of Helping Small Things doesn't work out well for a ladybug, but it does inspire her big sister Nicola's successful natural science project. In this third in a series of Australian imports starring this appealing, inventive child, Violet turns her attention to small creatures: a sparrow in the shopping center and an undersized ladybug from the colony living under the fennel in the garden. Though Small Gloria doesn't survive in the habitat Violet builds, the beetle is appropriately honored in her sister's model of ladybug habitats, as well as being buried and remembered in a simple ceremony. A new verse for "These are a Few of My Favorite Things" helps to provide closure. The death of animals, whether through accidents or of natural causes, often weighs heavily on children, and this deceptively simple early chapter book takes such concerns seriously without getting stuck there. Each short chapter is a complete event, but readers will be led on by their need to know what happens next. The finished book will include black-and-white illustrations (not seen) and the distinctively designed chapter numbers (they look like they've been knit out of yarn) of previous titles. Readers who met Violet earlier will feel right at home. Still, this sweet family story stands alone and should attract new fans. (Fiction. 5-9)]] Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

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Violet Mackerel's Natural Habitat Violet Mackerel is a seven-year-old girl who is at the shopping center with her mama. They have been there all afternoon, buying violin strings for Violet's eleven-year-old brother, Dylan, and an Encyclopedia of Natural Science for her thirteen-year-old sister, Nicola, who is doing a special display for a school science fair. They have not been buying anything for Violet, unless you count gray school socks. Violet does not count gray school socks. And now Mama has bumped into Mrs. Lin from across the road and they are having an extremely long cup of tea in the food court. "With petrol prices as they are," says Mama to Mrs. Lin, "it's getting difficult to make ends meet." "I know," says Mrs. Lin to Mama. "My bills are going through the roof." No one says anything to Violet, so she thinks about Mrs. Lin's bills going through the roof. The roof of the food court is quite high up. Past two whole floors of shops. And there is a small brown sparrow flying there. Violet wonders if the sparrow has always lived in the shopping mall or if he flew in by mistake and can't find his way out of the automatic sliding doors that creak open and shut as the people come and go. She wonders if indoor sparrows are jealous of outdoor sparrows, who have leafy trees to nest in, or if outdoor sparrows are jealous of indoor sparrows, who get doughnut crumbs and bits of hot dog to eat. It is difficult to know what small creatures think. But while Violet is wondering, the sparrow flies down onto the floor of the food court and hops and jumps just near where she is sitting. Violet wishes she had some doughnut crumbs, but since she doesn't, she tries to think of what else a sparrow might like. She suspects it is probably quite difficult for an indoor sparrow to find things to build a nest with, and that gives her an idea. The hem of her daisy skirt is coming unraveled, and she pulls on a loose thread. It gets quite long before it breaks. Violet puts it down on the ground for the sparrow. "You can weave this into your nest," says Violet. The sparrow hops over, picks it up in his beak, and flies back toward the roof of the shopping mall. Violet smiles. A new thought is forming in her mind. It is called the Theory of Helping Small Things and it works like this: If you do something to help a small thing, that small thing might find a way of helping you. Excerpted from Violet Mackerel's Natural Habitat by Anna Branford All rights reserved by the original copyright owners. Excerpts are provided for display purposes only and may not be reproduced, reprinted or distributed without the written permission of the publisher.

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