Violet and the Woof by Rebecca Grabill, Dasha Tolstikova
Published by HarperCollins on October 9th 2018
ISBN: 0062441108
Pages: 40
Goodreads

“Violet and the Woof,” is a fun to read, easily relatable picture book for those who love a good story with a fairy tale squeezed inside.

Violet, a young girl, is taking her little brother, Peter, to visit a neighbor.  Along the way,  Violet  tells Peter a story.  The story is a bit scary and is “a journey fraught with danger and peril, ” so says Violet. So much so that we are made to wonder,  if indeed, it is even true!  The lady who lives  in the upstairs apartment  accompanies Violet and Peter on their journey and carries  with her  a  “woof,” –  thought to possibly be a wolf.  They follow this lady off the elevator  and  into  the “deep, dark, woods.”  Then, “the little girl and her brother were not in the woods anymore, ” Violet tells her brother.  “They stepped into a damp, dingy cave.”  And so the story goes until they arrive at Papa Jean-Louis’s apartment . . .

This story is full of surprises and contains  an element of humor. It would make for a great story time book as it has a slight element of scariness, but in a friendly and funny kind of way. Good to use when talking about fairy tales and how they sometimes  “bleed” through into our very own lives.  Violet tries to scare her brother,  but in a mild mannered way as she makes up her fairy tale while weaving through an apartment building.  An example to children of how their  imaginations can be put to use anytime, anyplace.

The illustrations are brightly painted, captivationg and embellish  the story well.  A child might  find the story  a tiny bit confusing on an initial  reading  – the idea that Violet is  inside an aprtment building and tellling such an imaginative  tale to her brother.  It may take a moment for  a child to what realize what is actually happening. Or is NOT happening!

Reviewed by:  Connie M. Smith, Breakwater School, Portland, ME