VIOLET MACKEREL'S POCKET PROTEST

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.