Patty Lovell, who grew up in Levittown, NY, is the creator of Molly Lou Melon, a tiny girl who is the main character in Lovell’s children’s books: “Stand Tall, Molly Lou Melon” and the latest, “Have Fun, Molly Lou Melon.”
Sometimes, children around me say, “I’m bored.” And I always say, “You can’t be! You’re 6 (or 7 or 8) years old!” When I was little, I played with sticks and tree roots and had fun.” That’s my standard response, but it’s true.
When I was little, growing up in Levittown, NY in the ‘60s and ‘70s, there were, of course, no video games, iPads, or any of the electronic gadgets of today. I didn’t go to summer camp, never even knew about summer camp — that wasn’t done in my neighborhood. The big thrill of my summer was getting the pool tag to go to the village green public pool around the corner. This pool took up a couple of hours in the day, but my summer was most often spent in the backyard, by myself or with friends in their backyards, with no means of entertainment except for what our imaginations and our limited resources could come up with. These quiet times, when there is absolutely nothing going on, are so important for children. It’s when they can practice thinking and creating, planning and marveling at the world without a schedule to be tied to, without the pressures of expectations, or judgments that impede self-expression. There is no time for boredom, when your brain is left to do its thing!
One of my favorite games was to bring my dolls and some doll furniture to the base of a tree with a magnificent root system partly above ground. I would set up the most elaborate contemporary homes in these roots. One bend in the root would be the kitchen. I would get acorn caps and use them as plates, fill them with berries or spaghetti made from grass. In another bend of the root, would be the bedroom. Sometimes, I would rig up hammocks or fill a cavity in the root with cotton balls for a heavenly soft bed for my doll. I remember my dad showing me how to make a hollyhock doll from the blooms of the flower. I would snap off the bottom at the stem, flip it over, and insert the upended green cup into the bloom, so that it looked like a crowned queen with a frilly skirt. These hollyhock dolls would often find their castles in the roots of trees. I know someone, who, with her friend, would walk down to a nearby stream and spend hours sorting good mud from bad mud! They would then take the good mud and use it for various activities.
No doubt, everyone who reads this has a special game or activity that he or she came up with as a child during quiet moments. These are fond and important memories for us all.
In “Have Fun, Molly Lou Melon,” Molly Lou Melon’s new neighbor has all the latest toys, a cell phone, and the biggest TV ever, but she still seems to be bored. Luckily for Gertie, Molly Lou Melon has something even better: her imagination. Molly Lou Melon uses her creativity to teach her new neighbor that backyard games and homemade toys open doors to a whole new way to play. Patty Lovell’s first book, “Stand Tall, Molly Lou Melon, won the Storytelling World Award and the Georgia Picture Storybook Award. Lovell taught kindergarten for 14 years and now teaches first grade.
