Best Selling Books by Anna Branford

Delightful and insightful story from the author of the Violet Mackerel series Hazel Morrison has a secret habit – pretending to make videos about everyday things. Eight important tips for successfully buttering toast! Putting your hair in a ponytail: a step-by-step guide! But when her family move to the outer suburbs, Hazel has to cope with starting at a new school where she doesn’t exactly feel welcomed. A school project inspires her to create a real video – a how-to guide for being “the new person” . . . because everyone, sometime, will meet one, or be one!

With her knack for seeing the positive, six-year-old Violet anticipates extraordinary results after getting her tonsils removed, such as making a special new friend and turning her everyday voice into an opera voice.

Introducing Violet Mackerel, a charismatic new chapter book star with a zest for life and an endearing, relatable voice akin to Ramona Quimby and Junie B. Jones. Violet is a seven-year-old with a knack for appreciating the smallest things in life: her “Theory of Finding Small Things” states that the moment of finding a tiny treasure usually coincides with the moment of having a genius idea. This creative little girl always strives to think outside the box, so when she spots a small china bird that she desperately wants, she forms an imaginative plan for getting it—and her methods are anything but ordinary! Violet Mackerel’s Brilliant Plot is the first book in an irresistibly charming series starring Violet and her family that has pitch-perfect perspective and plenty of laugh-out-loud humor.

The charming Violet Mackerel must overcome self-doubt to make a new friend in this fifth illustrated chapter book of a delightful series. Violet Mackerel hopes and hopes that her new next door neighbor, Rose, might turn out to be a very good friend. But even after a nice morning at Rose’s house, Violet still has quite a few worrying thoughts. Is she too messy for Rose’s tidy family? Will Rose be disappointed that the ice in Violet’s house comes from a plastic tray instead of a special box with fancy tongs? Will Violet wear the wrong sort of costume to Rose’s flower-themed birthday party? And what if the present Violet brings is a good bit smaller than the other presents? Luckily a helpful older sister, a big imagination, and a particularly brilliant idea just might turn Violet’s possible very good friend into a definite one.

Violet is back with a little bit of helpfulness and a whole lot of heart in this third book of the effervescent Violet Mackerel series. Violet is the smallest in her family, and has a special affinity for Small Things everywhere. So when she finds a tiny ladybug in the garden, she expects she knows how it feels. It probably has to go to bed before all the others, and whenever it finds out something interesting (like that your ears keep growing all your life even when you are old), the bigger ladybugs probably say they already knew. Violet wants to help the ladybug, so she names her Small Gloria, puts her in a jar, and feeds her cheese toast. And then Violet wakes up to a horrible surprise. But thankfully, even as Violet learns a hard lesson about natural habitats, she realizes how nice it is to share her own habitat with a big sister.

Is it possible to leave a piece of you wherever you go? Violet Mackerel thinks so in this fourth illustrated chapter book of a charming series. Violet Mackerel believes that wherever you leave something small, a tiny part of you gets to stay too—like how the little piece of green sea glass under the mattress at the beach house means that a little piece of Violet gets to stay on summer holiday. Violet’s theory is put to the test when Mama and Vincent announce some very special news: They are going to get married. And they are all going to move. Violet is excited for the wedding, but Dylan is angry about the move. Normally, it is nice to be inside with your family when there is a big noisy storm outside and there is pumpkin soup for dinner and something on TV about penguins. But it is hard to enjoy it when your brother is outside in the garden in a leaky tent. When Dylan won’t budge, the wedding preparations feel a bit sad. But just in time, Violet thinks of the perfect way to help Dylan feel better about moving. And her Theory of Leaving Small Things Behind is going to come in handy!

Violet and Rose organize a protest to save the big oak tree in Clover Park.

A delightful follow up to How to be ... the New Personu003c/iu003e, from Anna Branford, author of the much-loved series, Violet Mackerel Hazel Morrison has settled into her new school, and made a new friend, Laura, who shares Hazel''s love of making pretend tutorials about everyday things. How to fold your pajamas: The Morrison Method! Three top tips for drizzling honey on your porridge! Laura''s dad is away, and when her mum gets very ill with morning sickness, she turns to Hazel for help. Laura''s mum goes to hospital and Laura comes to stay with Hazel''s family. They also have to rehearse for the school play, deal with the not-so-helpful Camila, and help find a missing cat. Together the girls learn how to be a friend: navigating self-doubt, secrets, helping out, knowing when to give someone space ... and all the fun in between!

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 2011 Children''s Book Council of Australia (CBCA) Book of the Year Awards, Younger Readers category. In 2013, Violet Mackerel''s Personal Space won the Young Readers/Picture Book Award category of the Australian Family Therapists'' Award and was short-listed for the 2013 Children''s Peace Literature Awards. Violet Mackerel''s Possible Friend was short-listed for the 2014 CBCA Book of the Year Awards, Younger Readers category.

A delightful follow up to How to be ... the New Person, from Anna Branford, author of the much-loved series, Violet Mackerel Hazel Morrison has settled into her new school, and made a new friend, Laura, who shares Hazel''s love of making pretend tutorials about everyday things. How to fold your pajamas: The Morrison Method! Three top tips for drizzling honey on your porridge! Laura''s dad is away, and when her mum gets very ill with morning sickness, she turns to Hazel for help. Laura''s mum goes to hospital and Laura comes to stay with Hazel''s family. They also have to rehearse for the school play, deal with the not-so-helpful Camila, and help find a missing cat. Together the girls learn how to be a friend: navigating self-doubt, secrets, helping out, knowing when to give someone space ... and all the fun in between!

Lily has everything ready for Fern''s sleepover: books, games and cheesy acorn pie for dinner. Will Lily''s first sleepover be the best night ever?

Synopsis coming soon.......

Neville is the only kid in his whole class without a mobile phone. Or so he tells his parents. When it''s clear that Neville''s parents can''t be persuaded to get him a phone, Neville enlists the help of his mate, Enzo. Neville and Enzo are determined to find a way.

Lily loves the ring she finds in the moss garden. It makes a wonderful wading pool. But the ring belongs to a small human. Will Lily have to return it?

Lily lives with her dad in a tiny house, hidden in a bridge in a busy city, while Granny Small lives in a granny flat behind Lily''s house. From finding hidden treasures to making wishes on dandelion seeds, Lily and her family share delightful adventures. Lily wants to play her new silver elf flute at the Grand Elf Concert. But she can only make horrible whiffling sounds with it. Will she get to play at the concert?

Violet Mackerel has outside-the-box ideas—and they’re all included in this in-the-box collection of illustrated chapter books. Violet Mackerel is quite a small girl with quite brilliant ideas. Violet’s ideas come in handy when helping out at the market, digging for dinosaur bones, knitting unusual leg warmers, braving tonsillectomies, feeding ladybugs, planning weddings, and inventing useful theories. Learn her Theory of Finding Small Things in Violet Mackerel’s Brilliant Plot, her Theory of Giving Small Things in Violet Mackerel’s Remarkable Recovery, her Theory of Helping Small Things in Violet Mackerel’s Natural Habitat, and her Theory of Leaving Small Things Behind in Violet Mackerel’s Personal Space. And there’s one more theory you’re likely to discover: the Theory of Reading Small Books. Because once you read one of these charming chapter books, you’ll want to read them all!

"Lily loves the ring she finds in the moss garden. It makes a wonderful wading pool. But the ring belongs to a small human. Will Lily have to return it?"--Page [4] of cover.

Lily''s dress-up crown is broken. So she wishes on a dandelion seed for a real princess crown. Will her wish come true?

Lily lives with her dad in a tiny house, hidden in a bridge in a busy city, while Granny Small lives in a granny flat behind Lily''s house. From finding hidden treasures to making wishes on dandelion seeds, Lily and her family share delightful adventures.Lily is frightened when the midnight owl hoots during the night. But Granny isn''t afraid. She thinks the midnight owl sounds friendly. Will Lily always be afraid of him?

Violet Mackerel loves to make things - especially small things. Let Violet show you how to make some of her favourite small things - small things to wear, use and give. Packed full of crafty ideas and lots of thinking outside the square.

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 2011 Children''s Book Council of Australia (CBCA) Book of the Year Awards, Younger Readers category. In 2013, Violet Mackerel''s Personal Space won the Young Readers/Picture Book Award category of the Australian Family Therapists'' Award and was short-listed for the 2013 Children''s Peace Literature Awards. Violet Mackerel''s Possible Friend was short-listed for the 2014 CBCA Book of the Year Awards, Younger Readers category

A delightful follow up to How to be ... the New Person, from Anna Branford, author of the much-loved series, Violet Mackerel Hazel Morrison has settled into her new school, and made a new friend, Laura, who shares Hazel''s love of making pretend tutorials about everyday things. How to fold your pajamas: The Morrison Method! Three top tips for drizzling honey on your porridge! Laura''s dad is away, and when her mum gets very ill with morning sickness, she turns to Hazel for help. Laura''s mum goes to hospital and Laura comes to stay with Hazel''s family. They also have to rehearse for the school play, deal with the not-so-helpful Camila, and help find a missing cat. Together the girls learn how to be a friend: navigating self-doubt, secrets, helping out, knowing when to give someone space ... and all the fun in between!

VIOLET MACKEREL is excited. Her best friend Rose is going on a trip to JAPAN. But Violet is going to miss her TERRIBLY. Six weeks is a long time. What if Rose FORGETS her? It may all be a SLIGHT DISASTER. Unless Violet can come up with a perfect plan and a very HELPFUL SUGGESTION.

Sophie longs to be a hairdresser one day. Every day after school she helps her mother''s friend, Madame Tulip, in her salon. Sophie''s best friend, Melita, is mad about ballet, and to Sophie''s sorrow she has joined forces with fellow ballet students Vanessa and Jacqueline, who are not at all friendly to Sophie and make fun of her hairdressing skills. The three girls are preparing for their school''s presentation of Swan Lake, in which Melita will be dancing the role of Odette. At the last minute, just before the show is due to start, the girls find that their designated hairstylist (Jacqueline''s mother), has sprained her wrist. With the help of Madame Tulip, Sophie performs her hairstyling magic and saves the show. This is a wonderful story about friendship, self-confidence, and following your dreams.

Violet Mackerel is excited. Her best friend Rose is going on a trip to Japan. But Violet is going to miss her terrible What if Rose forgets her? It may all be a disaster. Unless Violet can come up with a perfect plan. Beautiful writing from award-winning author, Anna Branford, with illustrations by award-winning illustrator, Sarah Davis.

Violet Mackerel is happy. She has found a beautiful locket. But she is also sad because Mum has lost her basket of knitted things. Violet wants to make Mum feel happy again and she may just have the perfect plan: a surprise formal occasion just for Mum!