PPBF: Stand Tall Molly Lou Melon

Title: Stand Tall, Molly Lou Melon

Written By: Patty Lovell & Illustrated By: David Catrow

Publisher, year: GP Putnam Sons, 2001

Suitable For: ages 4-9

Themes/Topics: individuality, friendship, relationships

Opening: Molly Lou Melon stood just taller than her dog and was the shortest girl in the first grade. She didn't mind. Her grandma had told her, “walk as proudly as you can and the world will look up to you.” So she did.

Brief Synopsis: 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.

Links To Resources and ideas for use in the classroom:

Books about being different

Todd Parr Diversity lessons

Why I Like This Book: As you read this book, you find yourself cheering for Molly Lou. She just accepts who she is and so other people do too. She is a model for what you want children to feel about themselves.