You Can't Be Too Careful!

"Elegant linework mixes with torn paper and soft, textured colors as a parade of luminous, exotic caricatures and their accoutrements unfold against a white backdrop; the effect is magical. The interactions probe issues around wealth, possession, and compassion. Mello's plot is made all the more mind-boggling with framing and intermediary scenes that are either voiced by an unreliable narrator or require fresh listening and looking. Complex and provocative." — Kirkus Reviews (Starred Review)

"[S]tunning works that will stir the imagination and peak the curiosity of young and old readers alike ... a marvel of art, story, and imagination." — The Gazette (Iowa)

"You Can’t Be Too Careful! is a study of the interconnectedness of life, and it does so in spectacular fashion. Roger Mello’s illustrations are a combination of complex colored-pencil drawings and torn paper, creating otherworldly spreads that immediately pull you in. Each illustration is perfectly paired with just enough text to prime your imagination." — Jessica Harrison, Cracking the Cover

"Unapologetically colorful, almost Carnaval-like, and filled with all sorts of wonderful people, creatures, and places. Even the covers are works of art in their own right." -- Literary Vittles

"For the past 20 years, [Mello] has colored his way into the imaginations of children across this outsize country, turning tropical plants and beasts into mythical idylls, while reviving forgotten folklore." -- Vocativ

"Mello's striking use of color and intricate design captivates his viewers and leaves them thinking about his images long after viewing them. It is impossible to glance briefly at Mello's art; each viewing of his intricate and colorful works brings to the surface different viewing experiences, and he has a knack for drawing his readers/viewers into his images. [Mello] is passionate about storytelling, and he does not underestimate the developing understandings of children. He avoids heavy didactic or moralizing overtones, and instead encourages his readers to draw their own conclusion based on the images and narrative at hand." -- Samantha Christensen

"Complex and dizzying, You Can’t Be Too Careful! features a vast set of characters whose actions and inactions are all tightly knit together. The book is a dramatic lesson in logic and consequence. A love letter gets lost because of a man’s ridiculous mustache; a man who’s on the verge of death lives—because his monkey ran away from the circus, because the world fell on the floor. See what I mean?" — Quartz

"Originally published in Brazil in Portuguese, this circular tale playfully foreshadows its genre through endpapers adorned with groupings of lithe stick figures enclosed in circles. The story begins with a gardener guarding a white rose, not moving from his post because of a cold he caught while looking for his shoes, which were hidden by the cat, which was given to him by his brother. As the yarn of connections unspools, readers are treated to a series of affecting, expressionist illustrations, rendered in colored pencils and torn paper." — The Dragon Lode