A gardener watches over a white rose to ensure she stays in her pen. As he watches over her and catches a cold, people around him endure tiny moments that have major impacts on each of them. Mello shows that everyone is connected and it is important to be kind and cautious of greedy people and actions. The illustrations depict the moments that change the lives of the characters by showing how small they were, but how the moments connected to the lives of others.

2018 USBBY Outstanding International Books List, 2018 Batchelder Honor, Best Picture Books of 2017 List – Kirkus Reviews.

Author is an award-winning illustrator from Brazil.

Portuguese. Originally published in Brazil as Todo cuidado é pouco! by Companhia das Letras in 1999. English translation by Daniel Hahn published in the United States by Elsewhere Editions in 2017.

The White Rose is guarded closely by the gardener, who once caught a cold walking barefoot trying to find his shoes, which had been hidden by a cat, which was a gift from his younger brother, who was married to Dalva, who had inherited the cat from her uncle, who died of a broken heart awaiting a love letter that never arrived... Eventually, we see how one tiny action can have marvelous consequences, and the story turns like a ferris wheel. With a playful lightness of touch, Mello explores serious questions about the importance of kindness and the dangers of greed. Mello's illustrations will inspire his young readers, providing them with familiar and approachable images while encouraging imagination to fill in the narrative gaps, as he captures the mysteries of childhood through rich, vibrant imagery.