KidsLIVE! Author Talk With Roger Mello
Join us for a very special author talk with Roger Mello. In this program, we'll be discussing one of Roger's books João by a Thread. There will be a Q&A with the author and the audience, then we will learn to draw in Roger's special style!
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Borrow João by a Thread from the Library:
João by a Thread
by Roger Mello; translated by Daniel Hahn
As João tucks under a lovingly woven quilt, he asks himself: So it's just me now? He curls up, getting cozy in bed, and soon the world of his dreams unspools on the page. The blanket in his bed unravels into deep rivers, lakes, valleys, reservoirs, mountain ranges, fishing nets full of tadpoles and gaping holes, until what's left is just one long thread. When he feels alone and scared in the dark, João "sews words like patchwork" into a new blanket to cover himself up. He weaves the threads of his quilt until they form one long sentence, and soon, the nighttime is peppered with his own silvery, slippery words.
Looking for more books like João by a Thread? Check these out:
The Twins’ Blanket
by Hyewon Yum
The Twins’ Blanket is told from the perspective of identical five-year-old twin sisters who have shared almost everything since they were born: toys, clothes, a bed, a room, and most important of all, a blanket. But as they grow bigger, the blanket they love so much becomes too small for them to share. As they keep on growing older, they will get too big to share the things they have always shared with each other, including their blanket. Even though they cannot share blankets anymore, they still have each other’s hands to hold at the end of the day.
–NYPL Teen Reading Ambassador, Chloe
Gifts of the Spirit: Growing Up
by Mike Berenstain
In Gifts of the Spirit: Growing Up, Honey Bear learns just what it means to grow up. She has a blanket that she loves and always takes everywhere. After having the blanket for so long, it starts to smell! Oh No! Now Mama Bear, Papa Bear, and all her cub siblings are worried about her. They must figure out how to get her to finally stop using the blanket. What do you think they should do?
–NYPL Teen Reading Ambassador, Christina
Luna and the Moon Rabbit
by Camille Whitcher
Luna and the Moon Rabbit is based on a timeless Asian folklore, Moon Rabbit. The story starts off with Luna and her grandma looking up at the moon. Luna’s grandma points at the night sky and says there is a rabbit on the moon that will visit when there are rice cakes. Luna becomes curious and tests this out by placing a rice cake near the window. What happens next is shocking and she witnesses a big, white, fluffy rabbit come to her! They go on many adventures together and have tons of fun. As a Chinese American, the story of the Moon Rabbit always pops up during the celebration of the Mid-Autumn Festival. Stories related to my culture like this book make me feel warm!
–NYPL Teen Reading Ambassador, Karen
Want to learn more about Roger Mello?
Find out more about the author/illustrator and his work here.
