anna branford – Aussie Reviews

Violet Mackerel's Formal Occasion, by Anna Branford & Sarah Davis

“This is the best small thing we’ve ever found,” says Rose.
“By far,” agrees Violet.

When Violet Mackerel and her friend Rose find a beautiful locket buried in the dirt at the park, they are very excited, although they worry whether someone is missing the locket. Then, when Mum loses a basket of precious knitted toys on the train, they realise just how sad and worried somebody can be when they lose something. They hatch a plan to give Mum a lovely surprise – a formal occasion. In the meantime, Violet tries to cheer Mum up by writing stories about what might have happened to the missing toys.

The eighth in Violet Mackerel’s ongoing adventures, Violet Mackerel’s Formal Occasion is also a beautiful stand alone story. Violet is a likeable main character, who is caring, resourceful and funny, a combination sure to appeal to young readers. The gentleness of the series means they are just as perfect for sharing as they are for individual reading, and the soft, grey-scale illustrations are a beautiful complement.

With acts of kindness, friendship, and cupcakes, and in a delightful hardcover format, Violet Mackerel’s Formal Occasion is delightful.

Violet Mackerel’s Formal Occasion, by Anna Branford, illustrated by Sarah Davis
Walker Books, 2015
ISBN 9781925081091

Available from good bookstores and online.

Lilli-Pilli's Sister, by Anna Branford, illustrated by Linda Catchlove

“I’m definitely going to have a sister. I can feel it in my wings.”

Lilli-Pilli is very excited. Mum is going to have a new baby, and Lilli-Pilli is sure it will be a sister. But as she helps to collect soft things for the baby’s cradle, her friends and family remind her that the baby could actually be a brother. Lilli-Pilli says she doesn’t mind, but could her senses be wrong? When she returns home, there is a surprise waiting for he r- in fact two surprises. She has a baby sister and a baby brother.

Lilli-Pilli’s Sister is a delightful story about new siblings, friendship and family. Lilli-Pilli and her parents are beautifully contemporary fairies, living in an Australian bush setting. Illustrations are whimsical but not saccharine, in watercolour suitable for the gentle nature of the story.

Suitable for any fairy-loving youngster.

Lilli-Pilli’s Sister, by Anna Branford & Linda Catchlove
Walker Books, 2014
ISBN 9781921977589

Available from good bookstores and online.

Violet Mackerel’s Personal Space by Anna Branford ill Sarah Davis

Violet Mackerel is on a summer holiday at the beach with her sister, Nicola, her brother, Dylan, her mum and her mum’s boyfriend, Vincent. It is nearly the end of the holiday and Violet is wishing it was still the beginning.

At the beach house where they are staying there are bunk beds. Violet has been sleeping on the bottom bunk. She has tucked a sheet under the mattress of the top bunk and dangled it down, so it is a small personal space of her own.

Violet has had a lovely time with her family at the beach, but now it’s time to go home. As she packs up she discovers a left-behind shell, and develops a new theory. This one is about leaving something of yourself behind when you leave. But thoughts of leaving little things behind are forgotten when Mum and Vincent make an announcement. It’s a double-barrelled announcement, and although Violet is happy about the first part, the moving-house second part is going to take some time to get used to. Violet thinks things through at her own pace as the world around her begins to swirl with change.

Violet Mackerel’s Personal Space is a new instalment in a series about Violet. As with previous offerings, it’s a beautiful hardcover book, with Sarah Davis’s gentle illustrations. Each opening includes black & white illustrations designed to intersperse the text and give the reader the opportunity to pause. Endpapers feature shells set in th same orange as the spine. Young Violet is surrounded by a supportive family, but she is determined to work her own way through things. In this case, it’s the notion of personal space and that it’s a different notion for everyone. ‘Violet Mackerel’s Personal Space’ uses Violet’s perspective to examine the responses of all the family members to the changes they are encountering. Delightful. Recommended for mid-primary readers.

Violet Mackerel’s Personal Spaceby Anna Branford ill Sarah Davis
Walker Books 2012
ISBN: 9781921529207

review by Claire Saxby, Children’s Author

www.clairesaxby.com

This book is available from good bookstores or online from Fishpond. Buying through this link supports Aussiereviews.

Violet Mackerel's Brilliant Plot, by Anna Branford

If what you want is something really, really important, and if the importance has been proven by your own personal theory, then ordinary plans are no good.
What you need is a plot. A brilliant plot.

When Violet Mackerel sees a blue china bird at the Saturday markets she realises that owning it is a very important idea, not just a silly wish. But the bird costs ten dollars and Violet doesn’t have ten dollars. What she needs, if the bird is to be hers, is a plot – a brilliant plot.

Violet Mackerel’s Brilliant Plot is a delightful chapter book offering which will be loved by little girls and by adult readers too. And what’s not to love? The hardcover format featuring a cheeky violet and pink spotty background, endpapers dancing with pigeons and buttons, and black and white illustrations on every spread combine with the heartwarming story of how Violet plots and plans her way to achieving her own goals – and helping others with theirs at the same time.

The first in a series, Violet Mackerel’s Brilliant Plot is, as its title suggests, brilliant.

Violet Mackerel’s Brilliant Plot, by Anna Branford, illustrated by Sarah Davis
Walker Books, 2010
ISBN 97819215291