From School Library Journal
Kindergarten-Grade 2–An offshoot of Karon's adult Mitford Years series, this story is written by Cecka in the voice of Cynthia Coppersmith, a character in the series who writes stories about her cat. Violet is the last kitten of the litter, and her mother instructs her (as she has all her babies) to remember the mouse-catching rules: Prowl silently. Plan your leap carefully. And pounce boldly. When Violet is adopted by a plant nursery owner and then by a bakery chef, she fails each time to remember the rules, causing havoc and resulting in a return to her mother. But the third time, the little white kitten happily discovers what God has planned for her. McCully's attractive, clear watercolor illustrations lend just the right small-town atmosphere to the story. A slight but sweet tale in a lovely package.
–Judith Constantinides, formerly at East Baton Rouge Parish Main Library, LA Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
The jacket reads "Jan Karon, the author of the beloved Mitford series, presents Cynthia Coppersmith's
Violet Comes to Stay, story by Melanie Cecka." Parsing that out for the uninitiated, Karon writes a popular, well-reviewed Christian fiction series for adults that takes place in Mitford, North Carolina. One of the main characters is Cynthia Coppersmith, who marries Father Tim Kavanaugh and (more to the point) writes children's books about her cat, Violet. This picture book features Violet as a kitten living with her mother and trying to become a good mouser like her brother and sister. Tried and rejected by two merchants needing cats to keep the mice at bay, Violet finds a home at Alice's bookstore. When she catches a mouse but can't bear to kill it, Alice praises her, saying "they're God's creatures, too." The ink-and-watercolor illustrations create visually appealing settings and characters for the well-constructed story. The book is bound to please tenderhearted children and Karon's many adult fans, who will want to introduce Violet to the young people in their lives.
Carolyn PhelanCopyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
