Rohmann, Eric (1957-…), an American illustrator of children’s books, won the 2003 Caldecott Medal for his picture book My Friend Rabbit (2002). Rohmann also wrote the book. The Caldecott Medal is awarded annually to the best picture book by an American. My Friend Rabbit portrays the adventures of Rabbit and his friend Mouse after they start playing with Mouse’s new toy airplane. Rohmann’s pictures for the book are based on his hand-colored relief prints. He illustrated many of his other books with oil paintings.
Rohmann made his debut as an author and illustrator with Time Flies (1994), a wordless picture book based on a theory that dinosaurs were the ancient relatives of modern birds. Rohmann then wrote and illustrated The Cinder-Eyed Cats (1997), a fantasy about a boy who sails in a magical boat to a tropical island inhabited by six cats with fiery eyes. The Prairie Train (1999), written by the Irish playwright Antoine Ó Flatharta, tells of a train that takes an Irish boy named Conor and other immigrants across the United States to San Francisco. Pumpkinhead (2003), written by Rohmann, explores the extraordinary situation of a boy born with a pumpkin for a head. Clara and Asha (2005) is a fantasy bedtime story about a little girl named Clara and a huge, striped blue fish named Asha. A Kitten Tale (2008) tells about four kittens facing their first winter. Bone Dog (2011) tells about a dog who returns to its master as a ghost after the pet dies. Rohmann also illustrated Bless This Mouse (2011), a children’s novel by the American author Lois Lowry about a colony of mice living in a church.
Rohmann was born on Oct. 26, 1957, in a suburb of Chicago. He earned a bachelor’s degree in art in 1980 and a master’s degree in studio art in 1985, both from Illinois State University. In 1990, he received a master’s degree in printing and fine bookmaking from Arizona State University. In addition to his career as an author and illustrator, Rohmann has taught drawing and printmaking.
