Violet and Jobie in the Wild

Indoor mice accustomed to cushy conditions learn to survive outdoors in this endearing novel by Perkins (Secret Sisters of the Salty Sea). Brother and sister mice Jobie and Violet are happy living in a warm human home, where their biggest dangers are “the cheese game”—the spring-loaded contraption from which they wrest snacks—and the household’s two cats. When they are captured one day and left at a nearby state park, they’re thrust into a life that Violet has seen only on TV program Nature Magnificent. They fumble mightily, and often humorously, in their naivete, just barely escaping predators, until they meet kind Zolian, self-proclaimed as “the oldest mouse ever.” Zolian’s wise counsel (“D.E.F.: Don’t Exit the Foliage”) proves invaluable to their survival and growing confidence. And as days pass, and Violet and Jobie follow separate paths, each forming a deep bond, both come to appreciate the shared beauty and peril around every corner. Balancing funny notes with a newfound sense of wonder, nimble text cleverly imagines the details of moving through the natural world in a mouse’s body. Sprightly b&w pencil drawings add finely wrought detail to a narrative centering family bonds and new experiences. Ages 8–12. (Sept.)