Stand Tall, Molly Lou Melon [Hardcover]

Patty Lovell (Author), David Catrow (Illustrator)

Book Description

Release date: August 27, 2001 | Age Range: 4 - 8 years | Lexile Measure: 560L (What's this?)

"Leave it to Molly to transform all her 'faults' into marvelous talents.. . . #Catrow's# pictures fill the pages with wild perspectives, goofy-looking kids, and hilarious details. . . . Leaves readers with the feeling that anything can be accomplished if you are the best person you can be and make the most of your gifts." (Kirkus Reviews)

"What keeps the storytelling fresh is the crisp prose and the heroine's full-spead-ahead determination. . . . Catrow's full-bleed pencil-and-watercolor illustrations, awash in ripe colors and animated by slapstick exaggeration, radiate a winningly eccentric elegance." (Publishers Weekly)

"The text is fast and funny, and Molly Lou is a fetching little heroine. Catrow's palette is intense. . . . This will make a comic readaloud." (The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Molly Lou Melon may be tiny, clumsy, buck-toothed, and with a voice "like a bullfrog being squeezed by a boa constrictor," but she doesn't mind. Her grandmother has utmost confidence in her, and tells her at every turn to believe in herself. "Sing out clear and strong and the world will cry tears of joy," Grandma says. But Molly Lou's self-assurance is put to the test when she moves to a new town, away from her friends and beloved grandmother. During her first week of school, Ronald Durkin taunts Molly Lou Melon in the dull-witted but sharp-edged manner of career bullies, calling her "shrimpo" and "bucky-toothed beaver." Our heroine barely flinches as she systematically sets out to prove herself, and Ronald Durkin ends up feeling pretty foolish.

First-time author Patty Lovell's message is clear and simple, and the theme is familiar enough to strike chords with every reader, young and old. David Catrow, illustrator of Take Me Out of the Bathtub and Other Silly Dilly Songs, Rotten Teeth, and other popular picture books, depicts a very weird-looking, very appealing little girl with warmth and cartoonish humor. Any child who is less than perfect will cheer with joy to meet Molly Lou Melon, a girl who doesn't let anything--or anyone--shake her belief in herself. (Ages 5 to 8) --Emilie Coulter

From Publishers Weekly

Meet Molly Lou Melon: she's "just taller than her dog," with "buck teeth that stuck out so far, she could stack pennies on them," and a voice that brings to mind "a bullfrog being squeezed by a boa constrictor." She also possesses huge insect-like eyes. In fact, young readers may actually gasp when they get a good look at the fearless first-grader in Catrow's (She's Wearing a Dead Bird on Her Head) double spread, extreme close-up portrait. Thanks to her grandmother, the protagonist possesses seemingly indomitable self-esteem but will it survive a move to a new school and a bully named Ronald Durkin? Newcomer Lovell doesn't offer any real surprises in her fable there's never any doubt that Molly Lou Melon will charm her classmates with her eccentric talents (which include making a paper snowflake the size of a school room), or that even Ronald Durkin will capitulate and join her fan club. What keeps the storytelling fresh is the crisp prose and the heroine's full-speed-ahead determination; the story never dallies too long on the potentially saccharine message. Catrow's full-bleed pencil-and-watercolor illustrations, awash in ripe colors and animated by slapstick exaggeration, radiate a winningly eccentric elegance. Ages 4-8.

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Age Range: 4 - 8 years
  
• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: Putnam Juvenile; Rei/Cas edition (August 27, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0399234160
• ISBN-13: 978-0399234163
• Product Dimensions: 9.4 x 9.1 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (93 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #10,022 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #16 in Books > Children's Books > Social Situations > Bullies
  • #58 in Books > Children's Books > Social Situations > Self-Esteem & Self-Respect

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

20 of 21 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A lesson for children and adults October 17, 2001

By A Customer

Format:Hardcover

This is by far one of my favorite children's books. I think all of us have been picked on or criticized at some point in our lives, and it is our reaction to that criticism that measures our pride and determines how we are perceived by others. Molly Lou Melon showed her friends that she was very proud of who she was and could do anything she put her mind to. This story teaches a very valuable lession not only to children but adults as well.

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Stand Tall Molly Lou Mellon September 6, 2001

By A Customer

Format:Hardcover

Stand Tall Molly Lou Mellon is a heartwarming and enjoyable story about a little girl who is taught how to love herself and be a strong individual, a wonderful lesson for children of all ages. My children absolutely love this joyful and enlightening character. It has become a favorite bed time story.

21 of 24 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Molly Lou Melon is a Winner..... September 16, 2001

By Roz Levine

Format:Hardcover

Molly Lou Melon is the shortest girl in the first grade, has buck teeth that stick out so far she can stack pennies on them and has a voice like a bull frog squeezed by a boa constrictor. But she also has a very wise Grandma who has always told her to walk proudly, smile big, sing out loud and clear and "Believe in yourself and the world will believe in you too!" Unfortunately, her family moves away from Grandma and now Molly Lou Melon has to go to first grade in a new school. And on her first day she meets Ronald Durkin, class bully. He calls her shrimpo and bucky-tooth-beaver and follows her around calling out honk-honk and making fun of her schoolwork. But Molly Lou remembers everything her Grandma told her and soon Ronald Durkin is put firmly in his place..... Patty Lovell has written an uplifting and engaging picture book with a gentle message that won't be lost on young readers. Her simple, yet powerful text is complemented by David Catrow's bold, bright and joyous artwork and together they've authored a terrific story that's summed up on the book's last page, in Molly Lou's letter to her Grandma..."Everything you told me was exactly right." Perfect for youngsters 4-8, Stand Tall Molly Lou Melon is a treasure you'll want to read and share, told with great insight, wisdom and humor.