Melia and Jo

by Billy Aronson, Jennifer Oxley (Illustrator)

Overview

Melia and Jo will be to STEAM what Rosie Revere is to STEM.

Melia is scientific and loves to create things in her backyard laboratory, but something is missing. Her inventions just aren’t quite right. Enter Jo, her new friend with an artistic spirit. When you add the arts to sciences, something magical happens! This whimsically illustrated picture book is the perfect introduction to the benefits of STEAM-focused curriculum.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781328916266
Publisher:	HarperCollins
Publication date:	08/21/2018
Pages:	48
Sales rank:	379,469
Product dimensions:	10.10(w) x 10.10(h) x 0.40(d)
Age Range:	4 - 7 Years

About the Author

Billy Aronson’s work in the theater includes the original concept/additional lyrics for the Broadway musical Rent. His plays have been published in 6 volumes of Best American Short Plays, and collected in Funny Shorts. TV writing credits include The Wonder Pets, Beavis and Butt-head, and Courage the Cowardly Dog. With artist Jennifer Oxley he created the PBS Kids show Peg + Cat, which has won Emmy Awards for music, design, writing, acting, and Best Animated Preschool Show. With wife Lisa Vogel he created their animated offspring Jake and Anna.

Jennifer Oxley was born in Hollywood, California, and caught the filmmaking bug early – she made her first film at the age of seven. Since then she has directed fifteen short films for Sesame Street, as well as the award-winning adaptation of Spike Lee and Tanya Lewis Lee’s children’s book, Please, Baby, Please. Her latest film, The Music Box, was acquired by The Museum of Modern Art for their permanent children’s film collection. Her work in children’s television includes directing and artistic credits. Jennifer won an Emmy award for her role as director on Little Bill, and she created the look and animation style of The Wonder Pets. Most recently Jennifer teamed up with Billy Aronson to create the hit PBS Kids animated series Peg + Cat!

Editorial Reviews

07/16/2018
Aronson and Oxley (creators of the PBS Kids series Peg + Cat) celebrate the power of STEAM in this unsubtle story about teamwork and the value of diverse perspectives. Melia (after Amelia Earhart) is a budding inventor wearing a cape and a pilot helmet. Jo, clad in flapper attire (a visual shout-out to Josephine Baker), is the artsy performer next door who wreaks havoc on Melia’s most beloved inventions, sticking licorice in Melia’s robot and sailing her paper plane into the mud. But Melia’s initial annoyance turns to awe when she realizes that Jo’s “silly ideas” fix her malfunctioning creations’ flaws. After Jo literally finds herself up a tree, the two predictably decide they work better as a team. (“By combining Jo’s art skills with Melia’s science skills, they could create more super-cool stuff together than either could create alone.”) Backmatter includes instructions for making a plane like Melia’s and a prompt asking readers to reflect on their own artistic and scientific skills. Heavy-handed STEAM messaging aside, Melia and Jo are likable protagonists, and Aronson and Oxley’s roots in animation are on full display in the action-filled illustrations. Ages 4–7. (Aug.)

Publishers Weekly

"A delightful story of a cross-racial friendship between two kids who realize how much they need each other and the passions that each brings to the friendship."—Kirkus, STARRED review "Aronson and Oxley (creators of the PBS Kids series Peg + Cat) celebrate the power of STEAM."—Publishers Weekly "A great book for encouraging kids to apply themselves to the STEAM disciplines, work together, and make friends. A strong choice."—School Library Journal —

From the Publisher

08/01/2018
K-Gr 2—The methodical Melia loves creating machines. The artistic Josephine loves to express herself. When the two cross paths, they don't appreciate one another at first. However, Jo's dabbling eventually turns into a source of inspiration for Melia. Likewise, Melia and her inventions prove useful to Jo. Once they discover this, they quickly realize that together, their strengths complement each other, allowing them to create things that neither could alone. Set within the STEAM model, this narrative imparts a lot of good life lessons. Melia and Jo's story shows how creativity can take different shapes, and that, even though the arts and sciences generally serve different purposes, and require different skill sets, they are not so unlike that they can't come together and be on equal footing. Fans of Andrea Beaty's books will appreciate the cute, digitally painted style, with colors that will attract the eye, and the girl-powered message. This also include a note about STEAM, and simple instructions for making an airplane in the back. VERDICT A great book for encouraging kids to apply themselves to the STEAM disciplines, work together, and make friends. A strong choice.—Rachel Forbes, Oakville Public Library, Ont.

School Library Journal

★ 2018-04-25
STEM becomes STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts, and math) as Melia, an inventor, and Jo, a dancer, discover that they're a dynamic team.Melia loves to invent things and tinker all day long in her backyard. Then Jo moves in next door and dances her way into Melia's inventing space. With total disregard for the sanctity of Melia's creations, Jo flips Melia's cereal-bowl radio onto her head to wear it as a hat, sticks a rope of black licorice into the neck of an unfinished robot, and chucks a paper airplane—that Melia is still designing—into the air. Although she's miffed at Jo's invasion of her space, Melia realizes that Jo has inadvertently solved some puzzling conundrums. When Melia shows Jo what a difference she has made, Jo refuses to partner with Melia…until one of Melia's inventions saves her. Their contrasting personalities are effectively delineated in the retro-styled illustrations: Brown-skinned Jo wears a pinky-purple tutu, a pearl necklace, and feathers in her hair; blonde-haired, peachy-skinned Melia wears shorts and an orange cape and boots. The backmatter provides instructions for how to make Melia's paper airplane and explains the benefits of turning STEM into STEAM.A delightful story of a cross-racial friendship between two kids who realize how much they need each other and the passions that each brings to the friendship. (Picture book. 5-8)

Kirkus Reviews