VIOLET COMES TO THE COUNTRY

The adorable little white cat with green eyes is back. In the second of a projected series, Violet (Cynthia Coppersmith’s Violet Comes to Stay, 2006) has an exciting experience when her owner takes her to the country to visit her aunt and uncle at their farm. Violet’s curiosity leads to encounters with a mother hen, a spilled milk bucket and a big white dog that end up with her getting in non-cat person Uncle Leo’s way and annoying him. When Violet gets stranded up a tree, it’s Uncle Leo who rescues her. To thank him, she nudges his leg and jumps on his lap, and Uncle Leo announces, “Never was much of a cat person, but I could make an exception for you.” Violet responds by purring—loudly. McCully’s watercolor illustrations depict realistic and charming rural scenes that lend substance to the story line. Less pious than the first, Violet will appeal to cat fanciers. (Picture book. 4-7)