Last Laughs: Animal Epitaphs

by J. Patrick Lewis, Jane Yolen, Jeffrey Stewart Timmins (Illustrator)

Irony and wit permeate this darkly humorous collection in which each poem is the epitaph of a different animal. The pieces are grouped by animal type, and range in length from one to eighteen lines.

Genres: Poetry, Picture Books, Humor, Death, Animals, Childrens, Fiction

32 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2012

About the author

J. Patrick Lewis is the current Children's Poet Laureate. He has written more than seventy children's books, including Once Upon a Tomb: Gravely Humorous Verses. J. Patrick Lewis lives in Ohio.

Reviews

[Paul Hankins · Rating 4 out of 5]

Faces of Death meets Wild Kingdom meets the playful urges of two of children's literature and poetry's biggest names.

The classic work and stylings of Edward Gorey are seemingly updated in this new collection of silly verse a word play from Jane Yolen and J. Patrick Lewis.

Fan's of Neil Gaiman and Gris Grisly will enjoy the short poems that describe the demise of many animals. The illustrator seems to have fun with the illustrations. Readers who look carefully can find animals described earlier in later illustrations.

Themes and depictions are playfully dark but I would want to know my audience that was sharing this book within learning communities serving younger readers.

[Elizabeth☮ · Rating 4 out of 5]

This has great illustrations along with clever, pun-filled epitaphs that I truly enjoyed reading. I got this from my school library and read it with a couple of students. I then took it home for my twelve year old who loves a good pun. She loved it.

[Rachel · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a hilarious, if macabre, book of poetry of "Animal Epitaphs." It provides a variety of possibilities for the way that animals might have died, using puns, word plays and other literary devices to make the short poems humorous, rather than disgusting or sad. As the introductory poem suggests: "Forget the hankies./Read the words/of bugs and fishes,/beasts and birds./They know it's not/all doom and gloom/that's written/once upon a tomb" (5). In addition to the engaging writing, the book also contains beautiful illustrations in dark tones that emphasize the theme of tombstones and death.

While I'll admit that it's not for all children (especially those who are die-hard animal lovers), I think many would enjoy it once they are alerted to the author's tone. It would be an extremely useful tool for teaching puns and wit. I might use it as an introduction to that for my high school students as well.

[Heidi-Marie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Oh my goodness. Some of these were so hilarious. Loved them. Many of them go hand-in-hand with the illustrations to complete the humor. Some illustrations were a bit on the ICK side for me, but should appeal to the 4th-6th grade kids (especially boys). The humor will probably be best for that age group, too. I got more from the book when I looked closer at the illustrations, for in a way there is a continuing story, and there are some things that add to the humor, ick, or they-didn't factors.

I can see this being a candidate for a Beehive book next year.

Overall the book is 3, but there are some epitaphs that are 5 stars. Some of my favorites: firefly, dove, porpoise.

4/17/13 It made Beehive. Kids will love it.

[Susana · Rating 2 out of 5]

Obviously I'm too old for this, since not a single laugh was given.

[Beverly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Creepy epitaphs for the tombstones of a variety of animals.

[Kimberly Sabatini · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hahahahahaha These are perfect for Halloween!

[Jim · Rating 4 out of 5]

A wild, v. dark book, v. funny w/great demented art, worthy successor to Edward Gorey.

[Elaine · Rating 5 out of 5]

OK. So call me twisted (just a little). In a nut shell that's what this book is - - just a little twisted. So hilarious! Various animals/insects that have met their demise (in a typical fashion you might expect, a la bug on the windshield!)and now we get to read their oh-so-fitting epitaphs. The writing is full of plays on words, double entendres, etc. with hilarious effect. But really it's all about the funny yet almost gothic (think Tim Burton?) illustrations. Imagine ... a horse, looking rather sick, sipping water from a pond, with a sheep in the background .... er .... um ... relieving itself in the pond. The horse, of course, just thought he was a little hoarse, but of course he was much sicker and died because (of course) you're reading his epitaph! And in the background of another epitaph page is the truck with a chicken embedded in its grill because (of course) that was the chicken that never really figured out how to cross the road. And it goes on and on. Don't miss this one. Very very clever.

[Joella · Rating 3 out of 5]

This would be a good book to add to a haunted, ghost, monster, Halloween display. AND it would also be an interesting addition to a school book talk about things that are underground (the dead are buried you see). The book is full of epitaph poems about animals. And some of them are just funny. My nephew who was 5 had me read it to him. (He picked it out of my book stack of things I brought home to write about.) And he didn’t quite get it. But my older nephew did. And thought some of these were funny. I could also see reading these to teens who stop by the library desk and just want to chat…especially if they are ready for some SRP 2013 “Beneath the Surface” jokes. However, it is an oddity that will only hit those few readers who really like to laugh at the idea of animal epitaphs. Some wouldn’t like it at all. And therein lies the trick of how to book talk this one. But, here is an epitaph or two that made me laugh:

Mourning a Dove
Go, wing,
go, wing…
gone.

Hasta Manana, Iguana
I wrestled a tumbleweed,
just for practice,
then I got pinned by
a saguaro cactus!

[Barbara · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pun-filled and delightfully surprising, this collection of 31 poems from two talented writers is very funny and certainly not politically correct. Although I felt some guilt for laughing at the end of some of the animals, I also shook my head in glee and kept on chortling and reading as the poets killed off chickens, turkeys, horses, cows, a dog, a cat, and even smaller winged wonders such as moths and fireflies. Even the titles of the poems are clever. My favorites are "Firefly's Final Flight" and "Grabby Tabby," but they're all quite amusing. The illustrations add a delicately gruesome quality to the verses with a swan singing its last song as it heads down a waterfall and a katydid lies squashed against a car's windshield. I realize that death is no laughing matter, and yet, since we all must die, it's nice to know that we can leave behind us words that make others to laugh.

[Samantha · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting title to add to your kids poetry collection. Many animals pass away and the few words in their epitaphs reveal their demise. Funny, clever text is paired with grim digital illustrations in a deathly palette of grays, blacks, and dried blood.

The pictures can be graphic so this isn't one for a preschoolers eyes, but school-agers will love it. The subject/artwork brought to mind the Scary Stories by Schwartz. Overall, a fresh offering in the poetry collection that will win over some of those kids who think they hate poetry.

[Dolly · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a strange book, offering an entertaining collection of epitaphs for various deceased animals. The rhyming ditties are humorous (in a morbid sort of way) and very punny.

The illustrations are a combination of digital, ink and gouache images and primarily consist of darker/sepia tones, with occasional splashes of color.

I would recommend this for older children who may find amusement in the irony, without being too upset by the gruesome and morose themes. Our oldest read this one aloud to us and she liked the puns. We enjoyed reading this book together.

[Marika · Rating 5 out of 5]

Looking for a dark, grim, and absolutely hilarious book? Look no further! J. Patrick Lewis and Jane Yolen have written a series of posthumous poems, each commemorating the demise of a different animal. Dark, detailed illustrations by Jeffery Stewart Timmins show moments before, during, or after each unpleasant death, sometimes combining elements from different poems into one fantastically funny illustration. Last Laughs is simply fabulous. Read one epitaph and you'll be hooked.

[Alida · Rating 1 out of 5]

Sorry, it might be witty, but it is definitely NOT appropriate for children. I simply do not find funny the concept of laughing at the death of animals (or people) and having a child learn this kind of attitude, accidentally or not, is not my cup of tea. I was disappointed by Yolen.

[babyhippoface · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was disappointed in this one. I thought it might be clever and funny and good to use in creative writing classes, but it just fell completely flat for me. I didn't laugh once, didn't even like it much.

[Erin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic! These animal epitaphs are as humorous as they are dark. Great for school age kids. Here's one for you:

Good-bye to a Rowdy Rooster
Too cocky by far,
he head-butted a car.

[Lynn · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved this but wondered what kids would think. My 9-year-old grandsons picked it up unprompted and laughed and snorted their way through it which answered my question ;-) Great illustrations too.

[Jai · Rating 3 out of 5]

Although it has puns for days, this book felt a bit much to be classified as a child's poetry book.

[Lex Bright · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'm not sure who laughed last because it certainly wasn't me. Last Laughs: Animal Epitaphs is an illustrated collection of children's poems that are written to be engravings on a large cast of animals' tombstones. I got excited by the back cover cause it shows a fun grave for a dead skunk with a really cheesy pun. This should have been exactly my kind of thing. My excitement started falling on page one and was fully slaughtered by page three.

For context, I have a pretty dark sense of humor, I enjoy macabre things and aesthetics, I love puns (the worse, the better), and I'm not inherently opposed to or upset by this subject matter. It stands to reason that I should have enjoyed this, but for me everything about Last Laughs—from its illustrations to its poems—was off-putting, gross, and weird (in a solely negative way). I'm generously giving this an extra star because maybe it's funny for some people? I don't know. This just wasn't my cup of tea.

[Mortisha Cassavetes · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh how I just loved this children's book. Great for Halloween and the Spooky Season! A little poem book of Animal Epitaphs. I just loved the Illustrations and how they went along so well with the story. I read this in digital form but I really need to get this book. Kids will just love it. I recommend this book to everyone who loves the macabre.

[Day · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is kind of dark, both the poem ideas and the illustrations, but the poems were funny. The whole book is full of animal poems about death. This book uses lots of play on words in the poems. I got a good laugh out of every page.

[James Biser · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a witty collection of rhyming words that make fun of different species of deceased animals and entertain readers with funny remarks about their last moments. It is a short, fun break of a book.

[Ellon · Rating 3 out of 5]

Grabbed this because I needed something to read and it was nearby. Overall, it was a bit too dark for me (I guess it's to be expected due to the title/topic) but there were enough epitaphs that made me laugh that I did end up liking it overall.

[Pam · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fun way to introduce various styles of poetry.

[Amanda · Rating 4 out of 5]

The art is hilarious and creepy. I love it.

[H · Rating 4 out of 5]

Last Laughs
Take a look,
Into this book.
From start to last,
It will make you laughs.

[Kat · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dark humor for children. I Love It.

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very punny.

[Relyn · Rating 3 out of 5]

This one is perfect for kids who are crazy for dinosaurs and teachers during their poetry unit.