Anna Branford

Introducing the gorgeous Violet Mackerel, a character who girls 5 + are going to fall in love with. Violet Mackerel thinks she would QUITE LIKE to own the blue china bird at the Saturday markets. This is not just a SILLY WISH. It is instead the start of a VERY IMPORTANT idea. But what she needs is a PLOT. A BRILLIANT plot. Introducing readers to a new warm and loveable character, Violet Mackerel's Brilliant Plot is a story not to be missed.

Violet Mackerel's Brilliant Plot

The charming Violet Mackerel must overcome self-doubt to make a new friend in this fifth illustrated chapter book of a delightful series. Violet Mackerel hopes and hopes that her new next door neighbor, Rose, might turn out to be a very good friend. But even after a nice morning at Rose's house, Violet still has quite a few worrying thoughts. Is she too messy for Rose's tidy family? Will Rose be disappointed that the ice in Violet's house comes from a plastic tray instead of a special box with fancy tongs? Will Violet wear the wrong sort of costume to Rose's flower-themed birthday party? And what if the present Violet brings is a good bit smaller than the other presents? Luckily a helpful older sister, a big imagination, and a particularly brilliant idea just might turn Violet's possible very good friend into a definite one.""

Violet Mackerel's Possible Friend

Violet Mackerel has outside-the-box ideas—and they’re all included in this in-the-box collection of illustrated chapter books. Violet Mackerel is quite a small girl with quite brilliant ideas. Violet’s ideas come in handy when helping out at the market, digging for dinosaur bones, knitting unusual leg warmers, braving tonsillectomies, feeding ladybugs, planning weddings, and inventing useful theories. Learn her Theory of Finding Small Things in Violet Mackerel’s Brilliant Plot, her Theory of Giving Small Things in Violet Mackerel’s Remarkable Recovery, her Theory of Helping Small Things in Violet Mackerel’s Natural Habitat, and her Theory of Leaving Small Things Behind in Violet Mackerel’s Personal Space. And there’s one more theory you’re likely to discover: the Theory of Reading Small Books. Because once you read one of these charming chapter books, you’ll want to read them all!

Violet Mackerel's Brilliant Plot, Violet Mackerel's Remarkable Recovery, Violet Mackerel's Natural Habitat, Violet Mackerel's Personal Space

Violet Mackerel's Outside-the-Box Set

Violet finds a special way to cope with moving to a new home after Mama marries Vincent.

Violet Mackerel's Personal Space

Introducing Violet Mackerel, a charismatic new chapter book star with a zest for life and an endearing, relatable voice akin to Ramona Quimby and Junie B. Jones. Violet is a seven-year-old with a knack for appreciating the smallest things in life: her “Theory of Finding Small Things” states that the moment of finding a tiny treasure usually coincides with the moment of having a genius idea. This creative little girl always strives to think outside the box, so when she spots a small china bird that she desperately wants, she forms an imaginative plan for getting it—and her methods are anything but ordinary! Violet Mackerel’s Brilliant Plot is the first book in an irresistibly charming series starring Violet and her family that has pitch-perfect perspective and plenty of laugh-out-loud humor.

Violet and Rose organize a protest to save the big oak tree in Clover Park.

Violet Mackerel's Pocket Protest

Lily loves the ring she finds in the moss garden. It makes a wonderful wading pool. But the ring belongs to a small human. Will Lily have to return it?

The Precious Ring

As the youngest in her family, 7-year-old Violet identifies with small creatures in the natural world, but when she tries to help a special ladybug, she learns an important lesson about animal habitats. Simultaneous.

Violet Mackerel's Natural Habitat

The charming Violet Mackerel must overcome self-doubt to make a new friend in this fifth illustrated chapter book of a delightful series. Violet Mackerel hopes and hopes that her new next door neighbor, Rose, might turn out to be a very good friend. But even after a nice morning at Rose’s house, Violet still has quite a few worrying thoughts. Is she too messy for Rose’s tidy family? Will Rose be disappointed that the ice in Violet’s house comes from a plastic tray instead of a special box with fancy tongs? Will Violet wear the wrong sort of costume to Rose’s flower-themed birthday party? And what if the present Violet brings is a good bit smaller than the other presents? Luckily a helpful older sister, a big imagination, and a particularly brilliant idea just might turn Violet’s possible very good friend into a definite one.

In this irresistibly charming chapter book, the charismatic Violet Mackerel knows how to stay upbeat—even when her throat feels as if there’s a cactus in it! Seven-year-old Violet Mackerel has a new theory: If someone has a problem and you give them something small, like a feather, or a pebble, or a purple lozenge, that small thing might have a strange and special way of helping them. Violet gets the chance to put “The Theory of Giving Small Things” to the test when a bad case of tonsillitis requires the removal of her tonsils, and she suspects that the purple lozenge from Doctor Singh may help her in quite an extraordinary way. And indeed, with a freezer stocked with breakfast ice cream, a wonderful new friend in the waiting room, and the certainty that surgery will transform her voice into that of an opera singer on the radio, Violet’s recovery proves more than extraordinary—it is, unquestionably, remarkable.

Violet Mackerel's Remarkable Recovery

In this sixth story of the Violet Mackerel series, Violet and Rose start a very small protest to make a very big impact. Violet and Rose have shared their best secrets under the big oak tree in Clover Park. And they have found some very good small things there too. So when Johnson’s Tree Services stomps in and posts a sign that says PUBLIC NOTICE–TREE REMOVAL, they know that they must do something to stop them. When their first protest washes away in the rain, Violet and Rose feel discouraged. But then they realize that the sort of people who care most about small things, like birds not having nests and people not having a place to collect acorns, might also be the sort of people who notice very small protests. And that gives them a quite brilliant idea, one that just might save their tree, on behalf of all the small things—and small people—who love it.

Elanna Allen

With her knack for seeing the positive, six-year-old Violet anticipates extraordinary results after getting her tonsils removed, such as making a special new friend and turning her everyday voice into an opera voice.

Lily is frightened when the midnight owl hoots during the night. But Granny Small isn't afraid. She thinks the midnight owl sounds friendly. Will Lily always be afraid of him?

The Midnight Owl

Anna Branford Anna

Lisa Coutts Lisa

Lily the elf is getting ready for Jumble Sale Day! All the elves are setting up stalls in their front gardens to sell the things they don't need any more. But Lily doesn't want to sell any of her things - they are all too precious. Will Lily be able to part with her special treasures?

The Jumble Sale

Lily the Elf

When a creative seven-year-old girl spots a blue china bird that she desperately wants, she forms an imaginative plan for getting it.

Anna Branford

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