View source for Mel Fell

{{for|the hills in Cumbria|Great Mell Fell|Little Mell Fell}}
{{short description|2021 picture book by Corey R. Tabor}}
{{Infobox book
| name = Mel Fell
| image = Mel Fell (book cover).jpg
| image_size =
| caption = Front cover showing Caldecott Honor
| author = [[Corey R. Tabor]]
| illustrator = Corey R. Tabor
| country = United States
| language = English
| genre = [[Picture book]]
| publisher = [[Balzer + Bray]]
| pub_date = February 2, 2021
| pages = 40
| awards = [[Caldecott Honor]]
| isbn = 978-0-06-287801-4
| website =
}}
'''''Mel Fell''''' is a children's [[picture book]] written and illustrated by Corey R. Tabor, published on February 2, 2021, by [[Balzer + Bray]], a HarperCollins imprint. It focuses on Mel, a [[kingfisher]], as she attempts her first flight. The book was received positively, and was the recipient of a [[Caldecott Honor]] in 2022.
== Reception ==
''[[Publishers Weekly]]'' gave the book a [[starred review]] and praised the technique utilized by Tabor for the illustrations, commenting how they are "alive with wonderful textures and soft colors."<ref>{{cite web |title=Children's Book Review: Mel Fell by Corey R. Tabor |url=https://www.publishersweekly.com/978-0-06-287801-4 |website=[[Publishers Weekly]] |access-date=February 17, 2022 |language=en}}</ref> ''[[Kirkus Reviews]]'' noted that the story, about a [[kingfisher]] plummeting towards the water below her, has a vertical format that "prompts readers to look longitudinally at each spread," which "inspires both excitement and anxiety."<ref name=":0" /> They concluded by saying the book could inspire young readers "to feel brave, to try, and to believe they can soar."<ref name=":0">{{cite web |title=MEL FELL |url=https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/corey-r-tabor/mel-fell/ |website=[[Kirkus Reviews]] |access-date=February 17, 2022 |language=en}}</ref>
Kate Quealy-Gainer, writing for the ''[[Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books]]'', commented on the book's narration, which they considered to be "lively," and the illustrations, which "confer buoyant energy."<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Quealy-Gainer |first1=Kate |title=Mel Fell by Corey R. Tabor |journal=[[Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books]] |date=January 2021 |volume=74 |issue=5 |page=235 |doi=10.1353/bcc.2020.0881 |s2cid=242564192 |language=en}}</ref> Julie Danielson, for ''[[The Horn Book Magazine]]'', called ''Mel Fell'' a "playful and innovatively designed book" and added that having to turn the book to read it makes the story "even more dramatic."<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Danielson |first1=Julie |title=Mel Fell |journal=[[The Horn Book Magazine]] |date=March–April 2021 |volume=97 |issue=2 |page=75}}</ref>
''Mel Fell'' was chosen by the [[American Library Association]] as one of its "Notable Children's Books" of 2021<ref>{{cite web |title=Notable Children's Books - 2022 |url=https://www.ala.org/alsc/awardsgrants/notalists/ncb |website=[[Association for Library Service to Children]] |date=30 November 1999 |access-date=February 17, 2022 |language=en}}</ref> and was also the recipient of a [[Caldecott Honor]].<ref>{{cite news |last1=Sullivan |first1=Meghan Collins |title='The Last Cuentista' and 'Watercress' win top children's book awards |url=https://www.npr.org/2022/01/24/1075270242/the-last-cuentista-and-watercress-win-top-childrens-book-awards |access-date=February 17, 2022 |work=[[NPR]] |date=January 24, 2022 |language=en}}</ref>
In 2022, the [[Weston Woods Studios]] released a 7 minute long animated film adaptation, narrated by Noah Wall with animation by [[Galen Fott]].<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Knapp |first1=Maggie |title=DVDs |journal=[[School Library Journal]] |date=November 2022 |volume=68 |issue=11 |page=40}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Mel Fell |url=https://cactusfilmfestival.com/film/mel-fell-mel-fell/ |website=Cactus Film Festival |access-date=March 10, 2024 |language=it-IT}}</ref>
== References ==
<references />
[[Category:2021 children's books]]
[[Category:American picture books]]
[[Category:Children's books about birds]]
[[Category:Caldecott Honor–winning works]]
[[Category:Balzer + Bray books]]