Illustrated by Gill Smith.

Published by Walker Books, 2025.

Mattie and her friends, Zoe and Casper, have set up the Appletree Animal Agency in order to help local vet, Dr Polly, find forever homes for the rescued animals of Mossdale village. In this book, the second in the series, the children have new animals to find homes for: a terrapin called Algernon; a ginger cat called Crumpet and a three-legged dog called Domino.

The village is preparing for Christmas; the Christmas lights are up, knitted decorations adorn tree branches, and the local ice-cream seller has diversified into delicious festive hot chocolate. I loved this cosy depiction of an idyllic rural village.

Young readers will love Katya Balen’s gentle storytelling and the book’s menagerie of super cute animals (all rather expertly named in my opinion, especially Liquorice the jackdaw!). This is a heartwarming tale of children and animals saving the day. In the mix there’s a dog who likes to escape, a pampered cat who’s partial to paw massages, a grumpy farmer and a snowstorm.

The beautifully atmospheric illustrations perfectly capture the book’s wintry charm. I particularly loved the snowy countryside landscapes and the village scenes with glowing lights and glistening snow.

Suitable for children aged 7+

Rating: 💙💙💙💙

Thank you to Walker Books for sending me this book to review. I reviewed it as part of The Appletree Agency: Collie Chaos! blog tour. Check out all the other posts on the tour for more exclusive content.