Stories for Growing
Cover of Mel FellAges 4 to 10
ConfidenceCourage

Mel Fell

Corey R. Tabor

Ages 4 to 10
About this age guidance

Kirkus: 4–10; Publishers Weekly: 4–8; Learning Through Literature: 3–8

The age tag follows Kirkus review. Other sources may suggest different ages. This is audience guidance, not an independent reading level.

Listed in a parent book-finder for ages 3 to 5 and 5 to 8. The page calls it a tale of self-confidence and taking a leap of faith, and a satisfying read-aloud.

A kingfisher chick named Mel walks to the end of a high branch and says she will learn to fly. She jumps, tumbles down the tree trunk while other animals rush to help, hits the water and comes up with a fish. The book is meant to be turned sideways to follow her fall.

Good forBeing braveLow confidence

Recommended by Learning Through Literature

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What children see in the story

Mel announces she will fly without hesitating, and the fall shows her what she is: a kingfisher who can dive and catch a fish. Mel leaps from a very high branch, and at the end she nudges a sibling toward the edge to try.

Why it’s on these shelves

Confidence
Mel strides to the end of a very high branch and says she will learn to fly. Her fall turns into a dive, and she comes out of the water with a fish, a kingfisher through and through.
Courage
Mel leaps even after a sibling points out how long the drop is. She tumbles, splashes down fine, and a picture in the back shows her nudging a sibling toward the edge to try.

Why pick it up?

Mel turns out to be a kingfisher who can dive and fish, and she encourages a sibling to try the same leap.

A note for parents

Kirkus and Publishers Weekly both describe the fall as funny, with excitement and anxiety for the reader. Kirkus’s closing line says it encourages children to feel brave, to try and to believe they can soar. The audit paper’s “tries again” idea is not in any opened page. Mel falls once and finishes the dive; persistence is not claimed. Caldecott Honor and Kirkus Best Books of 2021 appear on the Kirkus page.

Where this recommendation comes from

Learning Through Literature

Listed in a parent book-finder for ages 3 to 5 and 5 to 8. The page calls it a tale of self-confidence and taking a leap of faith, and a satisfying read-aloud.

Read Learning Through Literature’s recommendation
Sources and review status

We have checked source descriptions and drafted the value mapping. We have not personally reviewed the full book. The value labels, situation assignments, and parent notes remain provisional.

Publisher or literacy resource · Original recommendation

Our explanation of the value fit is separate from the original reviewer’s judgment. Their inclusion here does not imply an endorsement of Stories for Growing.

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