Mel and Mo's Marvelous Balancing Act

by Nicola Winstanley, Marianne Ferrer (Illustrator)

Overview

How do you create a life in balance?

Mel and Mo may look alike, but these twins’ personalities are far from identical. As they grow up, their differences drive them apart . . . which suits them just fine. Mel’s umbrellas fly off the shelves and Mo’s high-wire feats are the talk of their seaside town. But then Theodora Tweedle’s Raincoats and Roller Skates draws Mo’s crowds away, and umbrellas go out of style. Finally, these siblings have something in common. And maybe each twin has just what they need to create something new . . . together.

Mel and Mo’s Marvelous Balancing Act balances complex concepts of compromise and complementary differences with spare language and a simple story structure. The twins are non-binary characters, adding a layer of diverse representation for young readers that can also serve as an entry point for gender fluidity discussions.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781773213255
Publisher:	Annick Press, Limited
Publication date:	10/08/2019
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	250
File size:	10 MB
Age Range:	4 - 7 Years

About the Author

Nicola Winstanley was born and raised in Auckland, New Zealand. After studying at the University of Toronto and spending several years working in the publishing industry, Nicola now writes fiction and poetry for both children and adults. She lives in Hamilton, Canada.

Marianne Ferrer was born in Venezuela and moved to Canada in 1998. She studied illustration and design at Dawson College and graphic design at Université du Québec à Montréal. She lives in Montreal.

Editorial Reviews

2019-06-16
Identical twins prove the value of compromise.

Although Mel and Mo look alike, the identical twins have little in common. An escalation in contrast that begins with Mel's preference for reading a book inside on a rainy day and Mo's partiality to enjoying catching rays on a sunny day ultimately finds the twins disagreeing all the time and growing further apart. Clues in the patterned illustrations hint at the twins' future—and separate—professions. Mel takes over the family umbrella business, while Mo runs away to join a circus, becoming a unicyclist with performing poodles on a high-wire act. Most picture books about twins would end here, celebrating their individuality, but Winstanley continues this story with another theme. After both twins find years of success, Theodora Tweedle's Spectacular Raincoats and Roller Skates comes to town, and soon no one wants umbrellas or to watch a unicyclist. Mel fails to sell bigger umbrellas, and Mo's increasingly elaborate tricks all end in falling. But one day when Mel visits Mo, who is struggling to stay balanced, the twins realize what the act needs—an umbrella! They discover they can combine their different strengths to make a strong team, and even invite Theodora to join them for a brand-new Roller-Skate Umbrella Circus. The twins, who are white, are not identified with gender-specific names, clothes, physical features, or pronouns.

Mel's and Mo's seemingly silly professions make for an amusing approach to teamwork. (Picture book. 4-7)

Kirkus Reviews