• Charcoal Boys
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Elsewhere Editions

Charcoal Boys

Charcoal Boys

by Roger Mello, translated from Portuguese by Daniel-Hahn

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Beautifully illustrated by Roger Mello with sophisticated, highly textural paper cutouts, Charcoal Boys is a poetic and sensitive portrait of a child living under difficult circumstances. Charcoal Boys offers a unique perspective on the life of a young boy working in Brazil’s charcoal mines: that of a wasp who follows the child throughout his day. Through the wasp we observe the hardships the little boy faces, from his work at the furnaces to his relationships with the other workers. Mello allows the little boy’s strength and resilience to shine through in this moving condemnation of child labor. Charcoal Boys was recognized by USBBY as a 2020 Outstanding International Book.

Additional Book Information

Series: Elsewhere Editions
ISBN: 9781939810199
Pages: 56
Publication Date:

Praise

This haunting story from Hans Christian Andersen medalist Mello, sensitively translated by Hahn, explores the life of a Brazilian child laborer who tends a domed oven in which wood is burned to make charcoal . . . The story is narrated by a sharp-eyed hornet [who] . . . watches the boy at work as he dodges labor inspectors and tussles with a companion over a cigarette. Mello uses dingy grays and blacks to depict the boy’s surroundings, but when the precious cigarette starts a brush fire, hot pink and orange die-cut pages create a conflagration in the book’s center . . . Mello’s distinctive work burns with poetic truth.
—Publishers Weekly

Elegant linework mixes with torn paper and soft, textured colors as a parade of luminous, exotic caricatures and their accoutrements unfold . . . the effect is magical. The interactions probe issues around wealth, possession, and compassion. . . . Complex and provocative, this Brazilian import will intrigue readers who like puzzles.
—Kirkus Reviews, Starred Review

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