If there is one thing I love in children’s literature it is a good strong female character. I love girls with character and ‘spunk’. Two of my favourite girls are the Ladybug Girl whose name is Lulu and a curious little thing called Molly Lou Melon.

Lulu is definitely a character you fall in love with. She reminds me of all my nieces (I have 6!) rolled into one gorgeous spunky brunette ball of fun. The character of Ladybug Girl, or Lulu, was created by husband and wife team David Soman and Jacky Davis and based on their daughter who always wanted to wear dress ups.

This picture book is a beautiful production. Lulu’s wings glisten on the front cover and the end papers are a catwalk show of illustrations of Lulu wearing various costumes. The story begins on a day when Lulu’s parents have work to do and her elder brother is off playing his own games so Lulu and her faithful basset Bingo must make their own fun.

‘In the living room there’s a wall of books. Lulu can’t read yet, but she knows her letters. She finds a lot of L’s. More than 59, she thinks’.

Everything about this book is just right; the beautifully descriptive text, the illustrations that appear so deep that you could walk into them and the delightful way that Lulu leaps and skips through her day. This is a book about her day, a normal 4- or 5-year-old day, using her imagination and enjoying life and nature.

In each illustration Bingo is by her side and mirrors Lulu’s expressions. When she is cross he’s cross and when she leaps into the wind – so does Bingo.

‘From out of nowhere a gust of wind swirls the air with leaves. She jumps up to chase them. Ladybug Girl can catch leaves in mid air! “Ladybug Girl is definitely not little!” she yells into the wind.

This is the type of picture book that makes me want to cry with happiness. It is just perfect to read aloud, with just the right balance of description and dialogue. Lulu is a lovable character who is strong and self-assured – just like we want our young girls and boys to be! And believe me boys will love this book as much as girls.

In contrast to Lulu, Molly Lou Melon is a funny looking little girl. She is short, has buck teeth and a voice that sounds like a bull frog being squeezed by a boa constrictor. Despite all this she follows the advice she is given by her grandmother…

“Believe in yourself and the world will believe in you too.”

When Molly Lou moves to a new town and new school she encounters a horrible bully called Ronald Durkin. He tries with all his might to intimidate and put down Molly Lou in front of her classmates. However, following her granny’s advice Molly Lou remains true to herself and shows the other children the amazing talents she has, leaving the bully to look very silly.

On the fifth day of school he decides that he’d really like to be her friend.

With bullying such an issue in schools I love the premise of this book. I love that although Ronald tries to make her look foolish, little Molly Lou Melon believes in herself enough to keep showing the world who she really is. David Catrow’s illustrations of Molly Lou reflect perfectly her ’littleness’ compared to the world around her. Her big blue eyes are piercing and you fall into them the minute you lay eyes on the cover illustration.

The title of this book, Stand Tall Molly Lou Melon really says it all. Molly Lou is truly inspiring and should be compulsory reading for all children in Kindergarten and Prep.

Reading these two lovely girls will leave both children and adults brimming with confidence and with assurance about their place in the world.

||Stand Tall Molly Lou Melon available from We Heart Books||

||Ladybug Girl available from We Heart Books||