Note: I accessed a digital review copy of this book through Edelweiss. ( )

This book reminds me of the many songs we sang as children about things connecting like our bones. Every action, had a reaction which took the story in a different way. I read this to my grandson, or at least I tried to and he was not interested, he could not figure it out. Maybe he was just too young. I had fun reading it, but I was not impressed by it. The illustrations were just okay to me, I did not like the colours etc. It would work well when trying to teach about every action having a reaction with primary children. The publisher provided me with a copy of this book via netgalley. ( )

In this quirky book you learn how about the correlation of cause and effects. This happened because this happened, so it made this happen, etc. Halfway through the story the story the author decides that a a simple white rose wasn’t missing after all so the author rewinds the story as it would have unfolded with a white rose present from the beginning.

A good book to entertain but also to highlight how small decisions can have big consequences on others. Fun for all ages ( )

the strangest picture book I have read this year ... ( )

I felt physically dizzy reading author/artist Roger Mello's You Can't Be Too Careful!, as if I were Alice, fallen down a rabbit-hole of epic proportions. The narrative opens with a gardener who is zealously guarding a white rose, securely contained in her pen. But, as the title informs us, you can't be too careful, and working backward through a series of related events, the narrative explains just how the gardener did take his eye off that rose. Or did he? Once the chain of events reaches its beginning, it reverses order, going forward again, but this time unfolding in a different (and happier) way. Of course, even with this 'improved' set of events, you can never be too careful...

Apparently, white roses are notoriously difficult to keep track of, judging by Mello's tale, originally published in Portuguese as Todo cuidado é pouco! One of Brazil's leading picture-book artists, Mello was the winner of the 2014 Hans Christian Andersen Award, one of the most prestigious prizes in the world of international children's literature. Despite his high profile, he has never before been translated into English, so kudos to Brooklyn-based Elsewhere Editions for making this title available here in the states! I happen to have already been aware of Mello, because I attended a scholarly conference a few years back where a paper was presented about his books, so I am especially glad to have the opportunity to finally read some of his work. The story here is quite interesting, highlighting the idea that changing one events can lead to a cascade effect, in which so many other subsequent events are changed as well. I really liked the way that Mello played with time here, moving backwards and then forwards temporally, although I do wonder if his tale is a little too cerebral for the usual picture-book audience. This is definitely a picture-book I would recommend primarily to older children! The artwork is likewise quite interesting, not really beautiful (although that's subjective, of course), but arresting and intricate, with elongated shapes and surreal figures. All in all, this was a worthwhile read, one that rewards repeated readings, and careful attention and thought. ( )