Eric Rohmann - Author & Illustrator

Last Song: A Poem by James Guthrie by Eric Rohmann

Last Song, A Poem by James Guthrie
Roaring Brook Press, September 2010
ISBN: 978-1-59643-508-7, hardcover picture book

Last Song

a poem by James Guthrie
illustrations by Eric Rohmann

Beautiful watercolor paintings (from the Roaring Brook blurb) add rich layers of mood and feeling to an old Scottish poem, depicting a squirrel family spending the day together—waking, playing, and nestling down to sleep under the eye of watchful parent. An eye-catching die-cut cover and a size perfect for small hands make an irresistible gift for mothers, fathers, and families on any occasion.

Artwork (c) Eric Rohmann

From Eric:

“Years ago I found a sweet little poem—a lullaby, really—written by a Scottish poet/artist named James Guthrie. It is so simple and right that I supposed that it must have been illustrated in the past. I searched and searched but in the end found very little about the author.

I decided to make pictures to accompany the poem and the first things that naturally came to mind were squirrels. The imagery of the poem is sun and moon and stars—the cycle of the day—and I felt that I needed to find some equivalent story that evoked the feeling of the poem without mimicking or merely decorating. What emerged were soft watercolor pictures of two young squirrels and their day.”




Reviews
The Cleveland Plain-Dealer “This small, square book, just the size for tiny hands to hold, features a die-cut cover that offers an appealing glimpse into the adventure that lies ahead.” Kirkus Reviews (starred review) “A die-cut front cover provides an inviting gateway to an idyll that will tempt viewers to linger.” Booklist “The brevity and calmness of the words make this a good just-one-more book at bedtime, and the depictions of the circle of family love and the cycle of the day will inspire many just-one-more kisses before the lights go out.” School Library Journal “A gorgeous play of light carefully tends to the day’s progression, alternating wordless scenes with those accompanied by a single line of text. The variety of perspectives adds to the depth of this small book’s paintings, which honor the Scottish author’s verse.”




More images from the book