This was a cute little story about Molly Lou Melon who is so very tiny, and has some very unique features that make her stand out from others. Her Grandmother gives her some great advice on how to handle comments from others and live a positive life. When Molly ends up moving to a new neighbourhood and school she discovers that all the advice her Grandmother gave her was correct.

This book encourages children to be themselves and accept each other’s differences. The main character, Molly Lou Melon, does not let the negative words of others dictate how she views herself. She instead proves them wrong. This book can be used as an introduction to teaching children about the impact of one's words or potentially a lesson about writing letters, as the Grandma does in the book.

•tStand Tall, Molly Lou Melon
otSummary: Molly Lou Mellon is a little girl who is very different than everyone else that is in her first grade class. He grandmother teaches her to embrace her differences and it makes her proud of the way she is. Molly has to move schools and she is going away from her grandmother and all of her friends. When she gets to her new school a bully starts to pick on her every day. Every day that the bully picks on her, she does something to prove that she is very proud of being the different person she is which results in everyone liking her in the end, even the bully.
otGrade level: 2nd
otAppropriate classroom use can read aloud to the entire class for story time. The kids will find this book funny and most of them can probably relate to Molly Lou Melon
otIndividual students who might benefit from reading: Kids who get picked on a lot for being different and also kids who pick on other students for being different can both benefit from reading this book.
otSmall group use: Kids can read this book together. It would be neat to let students who might bully other kids of students who get bullied together because they can relate to this story.
otWhole class use: Can read aloud and the students can act out all the different things that Molly Lou Melons Grandmother told her to do.
otRelated books in genre/subject or content area: Not Your Typical Dragon is a book that has the same subject and lesson.
otMultimedia connections available: This book is available as an audio-book online.

My above remark about the cover might suggest that Catrow’s pencil and watercolor illustrations in Stand Tall Molly Lou Melon are just not my cup of tea. While I’m still figuring out why I’m not drawn to the cover*, I can say had I picked it up and flipped open to the first pages I would have brought it home. The color palette Catrow chose is my cup of tea. And I adore his use of proportion. Molly Lou is tiny. But what Catrow also does is not lose her in the greatness of her surroundings. What he also does is not make her so cute as to undermine the tension in the story. It is easy to anticipate trouble for Molly Lou when she goes to her new school. However, at the same time, throughout the story Patty Lovell follows any wince with a “grandma’s right you know!” Catrow does the same. And maybe we do have confidence that everything will be alright with Molly Lou when the inevitable bully surfaces.

There was a small problem and it is sort of embarrassing for me to admit. When the story talks about Molly Lou’s buck teeth, and shared grandma’s advice to “smile big and the world will smile right alongside you,” the next page turn features that “and grandma was right” moment…and I (the world) did not smile right with her. I actually pulled back because there was this huge face staring at me. I didn’t yelp though, not outwardly anyway. I appreciate the effect it was going for, but well, I feel like such a jerk now. Maybe if it had a occurred a few more attributes in.

Anyway, the images have a Dr. Seuss meets Norman Rockwell feel that works. It doesn’t downplay the reality that dealing with traits (physical or otherwise) that people tend to target in unpleasant ways is difficult, but it manages a liveliness that says: I’m not going to let that get me down and neither should you. And the story really does emphasize that our fears in dealing with bullies need not come to fruition. Molly Lou shuts her bully up and shames him good, but not because she is aggressive in return but because she is who she is—quite impressive. She makes friends and I like how when we arrive at the ending a particular new friendship is formed that is not in the least contrived.

As for the last page of the story with that letter to grandma? the perfect punctuation mark.

There more than a few books (picture books on up) that deal with bullying but how to be straightforward with advice without sounding message-y? Write a good narrative like Stand Tall Molly Lou Melon, embrace the straightforward intent and make that advice ring true.

recommendations… this is the kind of book I would recommend reading when a child is young and not yet in school or even dealing with bullies yet. It does not beg for a big talk, just a hmmm, life, whatcha know, having confidence is good, period. When does Molly Lou receive her advice? before the big move and the new school, when she felt normal (in her home and in nature) and had friends. This also a good book for early readers, it has a rhythmic quality; I immediately adopted a more southerly drawl for it.

of note: It has a pretty diverse cast in animal, insect and human critters so kudos there! and I adore Catrow’s sets and settings.

L (omphaloskepsis)
http://contemplatrix.wordpress.com/20...

If I could give this book more than five stars, I would.

We received this book as a gift, and I wasn't too sure about it because the illustrations are not my style. But I was hooked by the first couple of pages. Molly Lou Melon, a short, bullfrog-voiced, buck-toothed dynamo shows kids how to stand up for themselves and love their individuality with humor and grace.

The illustrations are full of hidden gems, the story is short and full of meaning, and kids of all ages will get a kick out of Molly Lou's antics. A must-read!

Molly Lou Melon a young girl who is given advice from her grandmother to be proud and unashamed of whom she is, even if she is different. She takes her grandmother’s advice and is confident, and the other children quickly become accepting of who she is. However, there is one stick in the mud, Ronald Durkin, who does not seem willing to come around.

"Stand Tall, Molly Lou Melon" is a heart-warming, delightful tale. The positive features of this book far outnumber the negative. It is beautifully illustrated with bright, eye-catching colors. The pictures are silly, but will grab the attention of the reader. The book also has a couple of instances where children have the opportunity to learn a new vocabulary word or phrase, such as “fumble fingered.” The text features bold words to let the reader know they are being shouted. Also, the character growth that took place in the school bully was a notable element of the story, as it shows children that sometimes we judge people too quickly. The one negative feature that does exist is the book teaches a great message of being confident in yourself, but it can be a little misleading as the world is not always as accepting as the story portrays.

Molly Lou showed great social emotional maturity for her age, which could be a positive influence for the story’s audience. Although a bully at school was unkind to her, she remained in control of her emotions and behavior. In addition, this age group is at a critical point of developing more self-awareness, and thus Molly Lou is recognizing more about herself and does a fantastic job of embracing it and using unique characteristics as strengths. Molly Lou demonstrates high self-esteem, something that develops for a long time through childhood and teen years. Her confidence was apparent to others, and other children were drawn to it. Because of this story's great lesson in being confident it yourself, this is a great read for both young children and preteens.

This book is a self- to teach connection: Molly Lou Melon is short and clumsy. She has buck teeth and a voice that sounds like a bullfrog squeezed by a boa constrictor. However, she doesn't mind at all. The grandmother has always told her to walk proudly, smile at all times, and sing loud, and she took her grandmother's advice and put it to use for her advantage. When she moved to a new school and had to start, she exercised those wise words that her grandma implanted in her to the horrible bully she made feel very foolish. The lesson taught here is to teach others how they want to be treated, never to make someone feel inferior for how they look.

Stand Tall, Molly Lou Melon is a darling book about a little girl who is short, buck-toothed, a bad singer, and fumble fingered. In spite of this, her grandmother always encourages her to stand tall, smile big, sing out clear and strong, and believe in herself.

I love this sweet book. The illustrations are wild and colorful and engaging. I love the plot of Molly Lou Melon proving herself to first herself, then the world, as she conquers a school bully one step at a time.

The message is so good for little kids who may have personal traits and features that they don't love. It's important to hear you can be loved in spite of your height, your looks, the way you sing, whether you're clumsy or not. It's also so good to be reminded that, no matter what, you have to stand tall, smile big, sing out loud and clear, and believe in yourself.

Original Summary: Molly Lou Melon isn't your ordinary girl. She is very short, has two big front teeth, and a strange voice. Despite all these things, Molly Lou Melon did not care, because her grandmother had always told her encouraging advice to help her in her life. Molly Lou Melon uses this advice to get through be bullied by Ronald Durkin at her new school. She knows it's okay to be different.

Original Review: This is a book that allows students to see that being different is okay. The powerful words that Molly Lou Melon's grandmother tells her are encouraging to young readers to be okay with the skin they are in. This book can help students be okay with being who they are.

Other books to pair with/connect to: The Day You Begin is a great book to pair this text with because both texts discuss being different and being okay with who you are. These would be great books to do a unit on and compare and contrast.

Quote: "Walk as proudly as you can and the world will look up to you." Students can use this as a mentor text to write a story about someone who is different in someway, and how the character becomes okay with and loves those differences.

Summary: Molly Lou Melon is a book about a young girl who has flaws, but has a grandmother who leads her to appreciate her flaws and "stand tall" and be proud of those. Molly Lou Melon may not have the prettiest teeth, she may not be the average height of her age, and she may not have the greatest voice. However, Molly Lou Melon makes the best of all she has because after all, this is what her grandmother has taught her to do.
Evaluation: I think that this book deserves a rating of 3. This book has very interesting and appealing images that are associated with the text. The book also creates a very valuable point for young children. However, I do think that this book does not require much thought.
Teaching Idea: I think that this book is a perfect way to teach about oneself. I think it is very important to realize that everyone has their differences, however we must accept that. I think this book would also teach young children an important concept about friendship, and it allows them to think about their own feelings if they would've been put in a situation like Molly.

Excellent book on bullying.

Molly Lou Melon has always been different, but her grandmother has always taught her to be comfortable with who she is. But, when she goes to school, the other kids are not as encouraging. Molly Lou Melon must remember what her grandmother has always told her and stay true to herself.

I loved how cute this book was. All the pictures were so fun to look at and the message was so great for young kids at the same time. This is definitely a book that should be read in a classroom of young kids if they ever feel as if they are different than everyone else.

This could be used in the classroom as an inspirational book to teach kids to be true to themselves no matter what others say. This is a book to refer to when kids feel lonely or different because they are reminded that being true to themselves and loving themselves is what really matters.