Take Your Mama to Work Today

Whether it’s due to a snow day or baby-sitter illness, “You never know when you might have to go to work at the office.” Should that happen, says the irrepressible, nattily dressed, umbrella-wielding narrator, Violet, make the most of it. “Hop hop hop across the entire lobby on just the black squares,” she instructs, “all the way to the elevator and push the UP button. Grown-ups love it when kids push the elevator buttons for them.” With this and other working world tips, Violet proves to be a more benevolent, less spoiled version of Eloise; she’s literally bounding with energy and eagerness to help (except when she’s napping during a boring conference call, along with all the adults), and she’s so utterly confident that even the boss ends up taking her advice on how to give an effective presentation. Although adults may identify more closely with Violet’s flummoxed mother, those still too young for the labor force should get a kick out of seeing how easy it is to discombobulate the button-down mind. Ages 4–8. Agent: BookStop Literary. Illustrator’s agent: Marcia Wernick, Wernick & Pratt Agency. (Mar.)