Eric Rohmann

I bought this picture book online for my young granddaughter, who has an insatiable curiosity about the world around her. When it arrived, I couldn't resist having a quick read to see what it was all about.

What a stunning book! The story follows the life of a female worker bee who, from the moment she's born, is eager to take flight. The author does a remarkable job of weaving detailed information about a bee's life without overwhelming young readers. As for Eric Rohmann's illustrations, show more they were absolutely breathtaking! By the time I reached the last page, I was quite emotional.

I was so impressed with Honeybee: The Busy Life of Apis Mellifera that I immediately ordered two more copies - one for myself and one for my school library. show less

There are LOTS of books for young children about coping with the death of a pet. Bone Dog is NOT like other books. Gus and his dog Ella have been friends for forever, and she tells him on page two that she won't be around for much longer. "But no matter what happens, I'll always be with you." On the next page there's no death scene -- just the simple reality of grieving and facing the fact that live moves on: "After Ella was gone, Gus didn't feel like leaving the house. But he did." At show more Halloween, Gus dresses as a skeleton and meets up with real skeletons -- one of whom is Ella -- Bone Dog. She has kept her promise that she'll always be with him. Rohmann has spoken often about respecting children to get it -- respecting their intelligence. He did it with Clara and Asha, with My Friend Rabbit, and he does it again, so amazingly capturing kids' emotions. show less

In world full of anthropomorphized animals in children’s media, Honeybee stands out for its dedication to scientific accuracy. Candace Fleming is well-known for her nonfiction literature for children, ranging from young adult to picture book, and here she explores the lifecycle of a single honeybee, or as she is called in the book, Apis. Illustrated by Eric Rohmann, you may not have known that you needed to see a highly realistic illustration of a honeybee the size of a small cat, but you show more very much do. In lesser hands the absolute refusal to make bees cute, either in text or illustration, would render this book cold and yet Apis is an incredibly sympathetic protagonist. Readers follow Apis from her emergence from “the wax cap of her solitary cell” through her many different jobs in the hive, to her death at thirty-five days old. By following a single bee Fleming illustrates the workings of a hive while building a beautiful, even poetic, narrative for readers to follow. Backmatter includes a labeled diagram of bee anatomy, the importance of bee pollinators to human food supplies, bee facts, and a bibliography. Suitable for readers of all ages, give this book to budding naturalists, insect enthusiasts, or even those who are nervous around bees. But be warned: young readers may become interested in bee keeping. show less

A young boy embarks upon a magical night-time journey in this gorgeous picture-book from Eric Rohmann, whose Time Flies was a Caldecott Honor Book in 1995. Borne away by a floating sailing ship, the boy comes to a faraway island where he creates a fantastic flying-fish sand-sculpture, encounters five tawny tigers, and is drawn into an enchanted dance - through the air? through the sea? perhaps through both, or neither? - with these cinder-eyed cats, and with all the denizens of the show more deep...

One of those image-rich picture-books that relies as much upon the artwork, as upon the text (minimal text, in this case), to create a gently surreal world, The Cinder-Eyed Cats has a kind of magnetic quality that draws the reader in. I can see why a fellow reviewer found the cover image compelling, as it certainly is that! Happily, the interior illustrations are just as mesmerizing. I don't know that there is much "story" here, but the reader willing to go with the flow will be rewarded with beautiful vistas, and a delightfully dream-like journey that is entirely appropriate in a bedtime book. show less