2023 Book of the Summer: Violet & Jobie In The Wild

Now Violet and Jobie find themselves in tall grasses, under tall trees, surrounded by all kinds of unfamiliar scents and sounds and creatures. In short, they find themselves in the wild. How will they survive?

Newbery Medal winner Lynne Rae Perkins introduces Violet and Jobie, two house mice exiled to the wilderness, in an exceptional read-aloud and read-alone for fans of Skunk and Badger, Nuts to You, and classic animal stories such as Stuart Little. This thrilling--and funny!--animal adventure explores themes of friendship, family, bravery, and the meaning of home. Violet & Jobie in the Wild is illustrated in black-and-white by the author.

This short, generously illustrated novel is packed with action, humor, heart, friendship, and surprises. Award-winning author Lynne Rae Perkins's Violet & Jobie In The Wild will resonate with readers who love books about animals.

Find Violet & Jobie in the Wild in print, e-book, and audiobook formats.

Discussion Questions:

1. Do you think Violet and Jobie are fast learners when they enter the wild? What is it like to learn something new? How does it make you feel?
2. Did this book make you think more about the small critters we see every day? Do you want to be more kind to animals after reading about Violet and Jobie?
3. What role did Zolian play in the book? Would Violet and Jobie have done as good a job living in the wild without all of his advice?
4. There are a lot of stories told throughout the book. How were they helpful to Violet and Jobie and what did they learn from the stories Zolian told?
5. A lot of scary things happen to Violet and Jobie as they discover how to live in the wild. Do you think that by the end of the book, they had better lives in the wild then they would have had if they had been able to stay at the house?
6. Family plays a big role in the book. Do families evolve over time? Is there more than one type of family that we can find in life?
7. Violet and Zolian come up with many different sayings in the order of the alphabet. Violet eventually finds “JKL” – Just Keep Living – a helpful phrase when she is alone. What is a phrase that will be helpful to you when you need help remembering something positive? Can you make it alphabetically like Violet and Zolian did?
8. What do you think happened to Violet and Ebba? Would you enjoy going on an adventure when you didn’t know what the destination was?

Activities: 

1. Read the Book of the Summer, Violet and Jobie In The Wild. What did you think about it?
2. Visit a nature preserve or park. Where did go?
3. Read another book by Lynne Rae Perkins. What did you read?
4. Violet's favorite shows are Nature Magnificent and Mice at Sea. Be like Violet and watch a nature show or documentary or read a non-fiction book about nature. What did you watch or read?
5. Paint or draw a picture of a meadow. Email the picture to ys@balibrary.org, or show us in person at the Youth Services Reference Desk!
6. Write another chapter about what you think happened next in the life of one of the characters. Email your story to ys@balibrary.org. Which character did you write about?
7. Read another book featuring animals in nature. What did you read?
8. Read a nonfiction book about one of the animals mentioned in the story. What animal did you read about?
9. Do something out of your comfort zone. What did you do?

More To Explore:

Lynne Rae Perkins' website. Find other books she has written in our collection.

Violet and Jobie read a-likes.