This past October, Brazilian picture book extraordinaire Roger Mello toured NYC and MA to celebrate his solo exhibition at The Eric Carle Museum and his recent picture book, Griso, the One and Only, translated from Portuguese by Daniel Hahn. Roger visited public schools, libraries, local bookshops, museums, and universities, sharing his infectious energy and artistic vision with adults and little ones. Tremendous thanks to The Carle for making this tour possible—if you have a chance to check out Roger’s exhibition (his first in the States!) before December 29th, 2024, it’s well worth the trip to Amherst! Below you’ll find some of our favorite snippets from Roger’s time with us.
Spanning the seventh to 18th centuries, with artwork including Tang dynasty murals, medieval tapestries, African paintings, and Egyptian pyramids, Griso transforms to appear in each artistic style. Following the story is a listing of every illustration’s origin, time period, and a note about the legends of unicorns throughout literature. Translated from Portuguese, the text accompanying the artwork perfectly coalesces the beautiful story . . . This is an artistic masterpiece introducing readers to centuries of artistic movements, while reinforcing the strengths and merits of being one’s authentic self. —Michele Shaw, School Library Journal,
