MELU product reviews

The creative team that is Kyle Mewburn, Ali Teo & John O'Reilly has come together several times to bring some pretty special picture books to their readers, young and old. Duck's Stuck comes instantly to mind, with its fast paced fun prose and the cartoony unfinished looking yet enchanting farm animals. Then there is Kiss! Kiss! Yuck! Yuck! as well. From a purely illustrative point of view, its amazing to me the variety of style across these works. Melu is no exception. The colours are quite muted and natural. The characters are cartoon-like but a totally different style and almost cleaner in their presentation.

The font used is easy to read, and friendly. I like the way it changes colour depending on the background and it is cut up to give maximum white space. This is important because as far as picture books go its quite wordy. Mewburn's wording of things is great. He uses a lot of descriptors. There is some repetition in there for children to help with, but its mostly around the sound the animals make as they move rather than specific rhyming prose. Its not as punchy as some of his work, but it gets a lot of ideas across. I loved the way the animals are presented in the stark background, matched with their longing for something else in the words.

The themes in this book are all great for kids. Don't just follow the crowd. If you have a dream, pursue it. Two or even three heads are better than one. Price-wise, $31 is quite a bit to pay for a picture book. However, it is hardcover so the price is in line with other hardcover picture books. We personally didn't pay anything to read it as we borrowed it from the library. I really enjoyed following Melu's adventure and so did my daughter. I'm sure it will get a good work-out while we have it checked out from the library.

I was lucky enough to win Melu off a website. I was excited to win 2 Kyle Mewburn books, the other being Seesaw Po. I really enjoy Kyle's writing and being a local, he brings a lot into writing for me.

I saw Melu advertised on KIWIreviews for the first time, and thought it looked a bit bland and not a typical book of Kyle's. When i got it and opened it i had a negative *gosh its a long book* come through my head, as sometimes (well to be honest more times than not) the books that are big hits in our house are the shorter catchy ones.

But as soon as I started to read this, it drew me in. My very tired Mr 3 sat next to me and asked lots of questions such as what the other Mules names were! Its a fantastic story about how being different and doing what feels right is good.

The alliteration and language is just fabulous and that is what drew me into love the story, ensuring i got the words out in the right order "Clit-clattered ... Clop Clipped...stomp stamp ... step by stubborn step" are just a few excellent examples.

The more i look at the book, the more i like the illustrations, they are a perfect fit for the book, the colours are natural but in their own way are vibrant and quirky. The animals have a lot of character and i could see my son really related to them and their storyline.

In the beginning i wasn't convinced I even liked it, now I would certainly buy this as a gift, for me this book was one i definitely shouldn't of judged by its cover!! This is a 10/10 for me, it is slightly expensive due to it hard cover and excellent quality but i would pay this as the whole package is fabulous.

I love the simplicity of the front cover. It looks good, but it's not confusing and you know right away it's going to be about the mule on the front cover.
I loved the illustrations, the colours are simply gorgeous, such lovely shades of yellow and green.
At the price, it's not a book that I myself would buy, but that is only due to the price. In every other aspect of the book though, I would add this to my children's book collection.
I found it very easy to get into the book, and my 4yo and my 2yo both loved it. They were immediately drawn in by our main character, Melu, and his friends that he meets along the way.
I liked that it showed how determination and working together can help you to reach your goal, such as how Melu and his two new friends had to help each other cross the river.
My children have already requested it be read again today before bed, and that is a request I am happy to fulfil.
A 9 out of 10 from me.

At $31 this is a costly children's book but it is a hard cover. The illustrations are very colourful, simple and unique. I really love this book and it will probably be one of the books I keep to pass on to my girls when they have children...

The typeset is lovely and the layout of the text makes it very easy to read and follow. My girls love the pictures and are quite charmed by them.

This is a book that you will enjoy reading to your children but as they get older they will be able to start reading it themselves as the spacing of the words is perfect for beginning readers.

The story itself is just delightful. I love it! Melu is different from the other donkeys and one day, ignoring their warnings, he heads off to do something no other donkey has done. Melu discovers the power of friendship and perseverance and that what you dream of can become a reality if you just keep believing and striving.

A perfect book to support you in teaching your children not to give up and the power of resilience and using others strengths, in team work, to reach a common goal.

I wholeheartedly recommend this book. Well done and thank you to Kyle Mewburn and ( the fantastic, beautiful illustrations by) Ali Teo and John O'Reilly.