Roger Mello: Brazil ★ Illustrator

“It was like a shining light that flashed on when least expected.”

Roger Mello

As an illustrator, writer, and playwright, Roger Mello has brought delight to children and adults alike, illustrating over one hundred titles, and writing twenty of them himself. His work has won many prizes and Mello has participated in numerous international book fairs. His book Mangrove Boys won the International Award from the Fondation Espace Enfants (Switzerland) in 2002. Mello’s work as an illustrator has been admired not only by readers, but also in exhibitions, including a recent exhibition in the International Youth Library (IJB) in Munich, Germany in 2011.

Born in Brazil in 1965, Roger Mello grew up with a love of reading, drawing, and writing. His passion and talent for these arts was fostered by an education in design, and Mello received a degree in ESDI/ UERJ Industrial Design and Visual Programming from the Higher School for Industrial Design at Rio de Janeiro State University. Mello’s Brazilian roots have provided strong foundations for his life and work. His illustrations provide avenues to explore the history and culture of Brazil.

The driving force behind Roger Mello’s work is the need to tell a story, and he satisfies this need without imposing an agenda or attempting to moralize or teaching a lesson. All his books deal with the concept of time passing and bringing with it transformation. The stories he creates are always found between the images and text, uniting the two through a continuous dialogue. Yet, despite this continuity, there is no set pattern to his work; he does not allow the reader to form expectations, as he continually plays with color, proportions, and perspective. Mello likes to experiment with different painting modes and media. His influences are innumerable, and he draws on the human creativity found in the world all around him, which allows him to look at the world with the pleasure and amazement of a child and the rich experience of an adults.