About the Author

Anna Branford was born in the Isle of Man and spent her early childhood in Sudan and Papua New Guinea before moving to Australia. Creative writing was her favourite subject at school and she wrote stories in all these different countries. Anna is a doll maker and a sociology lecturer at Victoria University. Violet Mackerel's Brilliant Plot was her first published work for Walker Books Australia and was Honour book in the Children's Book Council of Australia, Book of the Year Awards, Younger Readers Notable Books for 2011.

Sarah Davis grew up in New Zealand, wearing gumboots and falling in rivers. She worked as a secondary school teacher before moving to Sydney. Sarah is a very busy, award-winning artist who has collaborated with Sue Whiting on Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy (New Frontier) and Jennifer Poulter Mending Lucille (Lothian), for which Sarah won the 2009 Children’s Book Council of Australia’s Crichton Award for Best New Illustrator. Most recently, Sarah’s title Fearless, written by Colin Thompson, was short-listed for the 2010 Children’s Book Council of Australia Awards. Violet Mackerel’s Brilliant Plot was also Honour book in the Children’s Book Council of Australia, Book of the Year Awards, Younger Readers Notable Books for 2011.

Reviews

Each activity has step by step easy to read instructions and photographs. The ‘Thinking outside the square’ sections give extra ideas for each project such as alternate materials, or turning rings into brooches or crowns into door handle decorations. Violet Mackerel is excellent at thinking outside the square, and she often has very important ideas…great traits to encourage in our small people.
*Childrens Books Daily*

Not only are the projects doable for the younger set, they are actually really gorgeous. It's a joy to see unique ideas in a craft world that's generally so repetitive.

Beautifully laid-out and designed, with excellent production values and a hardy cover, this is what mini-crafters dream of. Just gorgeous.
*Kids' Book Review*