Stand Tall, Molly Lou Melon
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 ofTake 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