Music for the End of Time - Hardcover

“Eee — oh — lay! Eee — oh — lay!”
Such a wild and beautiful sound,
Olivier thought.
His eyes followed the bird as it turned
toward the woods, floated over the treetops,
and, at last, disappeared.

Detained in a German prison camp, Olivier misses his family, his friends, and his home — but most of all he misses music. A chance encounter with a nightingale and a German officer, however, provides Olivier with a small miracle — the opportunity to write music again.

Jen Bryant’s poetic biography of French composer Olivier Messiaen, coupled with Beth Peck’s evocative pastel illustrations, captures both the desolation of a World War II prison camp and the transforming power of music. This book will stir readers of all ages to seek hope in the things that inspire them.

Beth Peck has illustrated many books for children, including Just Like Josh Gibson written by Angela Johnson (Simon & Schuster); A Picture of Grandmother by Esther Hautzig (Farrar, Straus and Giroux), an Association of Jewish Libraries Sydney Taylor Honor Book; and Bicycle Madness by Jane Kurtz (Henry Holt). Beth Peck lives in Menomonie, Wisconsin.