Mel Fell
A Caldecott Honor Award Winner
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4.0 • 4 Ratings
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- $14.99
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- $14.99
Publisher Description
A Caldecott Honor Book and ALA Notable Book of the Year! An innovative and charming tale about a plucky little bird, from the award-winning author-illustrator of Fox the Tiger.
Readers will delight in turning their book sideways and upside down to follow Mel on her journey from downward fall to triumphant flight in this tale of self-confidence and taking a leap of faith. Please note: For the best reading experience, ebook customers may want to lock the orientation of their device before beginning to read.
An especially enjoyable and satisfying read-aloud!
Sometimes, you might fall
down,
down,
down,
before you learn to fly
up,
up,
up…
Interactive Reading Experience: Get ready to turn the book sideways and even upside down! Mel’s surprising journey from falling to flying is a hands-on adventure for kids and parents.Courage to Try New Things: Even though she’s scared and it’s a long way down, little Mel decides today is the day she will fly.A Fall Becomes a Success: What starts as a tumble out of the nest turns into a surprising first dive for a fish, proving that mistakes can lead to triumph.Supportive Animal Friends: From squirrels and spiders to her waiting Mama, Mel’s community is there to cheer her on every step of the way.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
With Mama Kingfisher temporarily away from the nest, a tangerine-and-turquoise-hued chick named Mel confidently strides out to the edge of a very high tree branch and announces that she's going to learn how to fly. "It sure is a long drop," observes one of her considerably more cautious siblings, which is a cue for the narrative and visual arc of this story by Tabor (Snail Crossing) to take a decidedly funny downward turn. The mixed media drawings, alive with wonderful textures and soft colors, show Mel executing an impressive aerial somersault before blithely hurtling headfirst in parallel with the tree trunk as inhabitants below are thrown into comic panic, convinced that Mel's dive-bombing will result in disaster. An owl family looks on with alarm, a spider tries to catch her with all eight hands, and a good-hearted, slow-moving slug makes a clearly impossible promise: "I... will... catch... you...!" Just as the trajectory looks bleak, Mel hits the previously unrevealed water below the white background turns beautiful shades of blue and shows, through a wonderful visual surprise, that she's a kingfisher through and through. (An endnote provides more info on the species.) "Hope" may be the thing with feathers, but Mel proves that "gutsy" can be, too. Ages 4 8.
Customer Reviews
Sideways book doesn’t work on iPhone
Shows book sideways on iPhone. Would like my money back.