The Mellops Go Spelunking

by Tomi Ungerer

A hilarious underground adventure starring the world's most adventurous family of pigs.

When Mr. Mellops' golf ball rolls down a crevice, the family's natural response is to prepare a spelunking (cave exploring) expedition! Down the crevice they go, with their steel helmets and rope ladder. Then, on a rubber raft they follow the underground river at the bottom of the crevice. Stalactites and stalagmites abound, and cave paintings and other remnants of the past are everywhere. Suddenly the raft is punctured, and the Mellops swim to safety – only to find themselves in a smugglers' den. In an exciting turn of events, the clever pigs combine their archaeological explorations with the ingenious capture of these outlaws. A timeless favourite!

Instant bestsellers when first published more than fifty years ago, the hilarious Mellops talks are reissued today to delight a new generation of children.

Beautifully written and illustrated by the internationally acclaimed author and illustrator, Tomi Ungerer, winner of the prestigious Hans Christian Anderson Award for children's literature.

A picture book for ages 3–6.

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens, International

32 pages, Hardcover

First published October 1, 1992

About the author

Jean-Thomas "Tomi" Ungerer was a French illustrator best known for his erotic and political illustrations as well as children's books.

Reviews

[Peter · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love all the Mellop's books. They are translated from the German, written in like the 1950s, and bring education, tradition, large family life and adventure together. Some may dismiss the books for their traditional gender roles, but I find them refreshing--back when such roles were clear and full of character.

Ever notice how many children's books have only one kid in the family? Its weird. Like all the books where the children never pray or go to church. Some important parts of life are just edited out these days, and reflect a narrow demographic, and a sad myopia. Its like the drive for validating diversity has lost a large part of that diversity...

[Cristina Di Matteo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Le avventure della famiglia Mellops è un buffissimo e tenerissimo libro per bambini che racconta le avventure e le disavventure creative della tenera famigliola di maialini. La famiglia di porcellini più amati dai bambini di mezzo mondo compie sessant’anni! Era infatti il 1957 quando il loro geniale inventore, Tomi Ungerer, mandò in libreria la loro prima avventura intitolata I Mellops prendono il volo. Da allora a oggi la bizzarra famigliola ha conquistato generazioni di piccoli lettori in quasi tutte le lingue del mondo.

[Markie · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's adventure time, and the Mellops know how to prepare for it.

When their golf ball disappears down a crevasse in their yard, the Mellops (a family of anthropomorphic pigs) outfit themselves and follow the ball into a series of underground caverns which open onto underground rivers, for which they've luckily brought along an inflatable rubber raft. After learning about cave geology, they stumble upon a secret stolen perfume cache and outsmart some human bad guys to save the exciting day.

[Robin · Rating 4 out of 5]

more fun with the Mellops . . . love the word spelunking. And clever things they find, like the cave paintings (of cavepigs). And specific words, like stalagtites and stalagmites, and note they are "roped to each other for safety." L) Two color design in some underground scenes (purple and black/ and sometimes brown) - used very effectively.

[Rochelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

A childhood favourite. The illustrations lent the story an eerie mood.

[Grace · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love the illustration style of this book. It was very classic children's book. And the story was lovely.

[Tyrone Hardy · Rating 4 out of 5]

“The Mellops go Spelunking,” by Tomi Ungerer is a story about a family named the Mellops, who are pigs, that lose a ball in a ground crevice and they go spelunking after it. This is a book that would be great for young science explores as it introduces scientific vocabulary like spelunking, stalactites, and stalagmites. In the story the family goes on a wild underground expedition that leaves them thankful when they finally get home. As I said earlier, this would be a good book to introduce for young learners doing Earth Science units in 1st and 2nd grade.

[Emily Scheinman · Rating 5 out of 5]

How could you not get hooked on a book that starts with spelunking?! The story builds upon the need to go spelunking with the loss of a golf ball into a small crevice. And one decision to explore leads to adventure after adventure. Ungerer's illustrations surprise and delight.

[Joseph · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was one of my favorite books when I was a kid, and I hope to share it with my daughter in the next few years.

[Alisha · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved it.

[Ania Gaska · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Mellops are a family of pigs that go on adventures. This story in particular sneaks information into the plot, and it can peak interest in geology and prehistory. In this book they go cave exploring and find artifacts and cave paintings!