Griso, the One and Only
$19.95
By Roger Mello
Translated from the Portuguese by Daniel Hahn
The last of his kind, Griso travels the world searching for unicorn companions. He asks beetles, chameleons, and buffalos if they’ve seen any mythical creatures like him, and all send him on his way saying, “Neither here nor at the edge of the world.” Griso gallops across plains, marshes, and mountains, he trots into the sunset and chats with fearsome narwals by the sea. On each spread, we see Griso rendered in a new artistic style, portrayed as a shadowy cave painting, a chivalrous medieval stead, or lost along a mind-bending surrealist horizon.
Griso, the One and Only introduces young readers to artistic movements spanning the 7th to 18th century, leaping across time and color with the flip of a page. In Daniel Hahn’s exquisite translation, Griso, the One and Only opens the doors to a world of African painting, Tang Dynasty murals, medieval tapestries, and art hidden beneath Egyptian pyramids. A song of color, time, expression, and a fantastical search for belonging by Brazilian visionary, Roger Mello.
Published on October 8, 2024
Praise
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Translated from Portuguese, this Brazilian import, from a prolific master of the imaginary realm, zigzags through time and cultures to track the rare beast . . . The animal transforms in each mesmerizing spread, appearing in the color/style of the new art form: a Persian bas-relief, ancient Greek vase painting, a Tang dynasty mural. Mello trusts viewers to make these visual leaps as the shape-shifter interacts with horned whales, buffalo, and, at the height of danger, a medieval knight on a horse whose armored head bears a spike. The text unites the disparate compositions into a brilliantly cohesive story.
— Kirkus Reviews, starred review -
I wish that my son was still little because I would love to have him sit in my lap while exploring art history together and following Griso's search for someone like himself.
— Beth Pierson, White Lake Community Library, MI -
The feel across Roger Mello's work is folkloric, dipping into shared cultures, drawing from Brazilian myth and history, and the result swings between the euphoric, the menacing, the high-drama, and the contemplative, colors blazing, animals and people and shapes together in harmony, in motion.
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Griso may be the one and only, but he’s rendered in many different variations throughout this veritable unicorn tapestry, which demonstrates, with power and immediacy, each style’s particular way of seeing.
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It's hard to overstate the beauty of Roger Mello's art in Griso, the One and Only. Griso travels through time, space, and art history in his quest to discover another unicorn like himself, searching through 20th Century surrealism, European Medieval and Renaissance art, and ancient Persian bas-reliefs among so many others. The bittersweet story of loneliness finds a glimmer of hope in a spread inspired by prehistoric cave paintings. This book is a museum-quality object you can bring home.
— Timothy Otte, Wild Rumpus Books -
The artwork in this book is second to none...I found this book magical.
— Didem Durak Akser -
Art and literature collide in this vibrant exploration of art throughout the ages.
— Erica Baxter -
A picture book like no other.
— Emma Graham, Waterstones -
Roger Mello brilliantly places Griso across time, space, and cultures through a selection of artistic styles . . . Griso's courage turns the page. He ventures on. And the narrative urges the reader on . . . Mello’s command of imagery and Hahn’s attentive translation captivate readers.
— Michelle Nott -
From Persian bas-reliefs to Tang dynasty murals, Griso’s shape-shifting journey is depicted with exquisite detail and authenticity. The book not only tells a story but also serves as an introduction to centuries of artistic heritage.
— Momma Braga Blog
