Story Sparks and Surprises Interview with Wendy J. Whittingham, author of The Last Last (Illustrated by Brianna McCarthy)

In her debut picture book, The Last Last, author Wendy J. Whittingham invites readers into a tender, sun-soaked farewell to island life through the eyes of a young girl preparing to leave her Jamaican home. As Mum and Grannie pack up the house, the child takes one final barefoot walk to the sea, clutching shells, tasting roast corn, and breathing in every last scent, sound, and shimmer of the only place she’s ever known. But the ache of goodbye is gently balanced by something else—a quiet courage, and the sense that memory is something you can carry with you.

The story doesn't end when the plane lifts off. In Toronto, the snow is waiting, the city buzzes with noise, and the skyline is impossibly high. And yet, even here, this young girl finds herself full of wonder. Whether captivated by just a flash of blue wings, an unfamiliar birdcall, or some other new experience that is a first "first." With vivid detail and poetic simplicity, Whittingham captures that powerful moment between loss and discovery, where new beginnings gently unfold.

Illustrated by celebrated Caribbean artist Brianna McCarthy, The Last Last is a richly textured visual journey filled with bold color, cultural warmth, and emotional resonance. Inspired by the author’s own immigration story, the book speaks to young readers navigating change, and reminds us all that home isn’t just a place, but a feeling that you bring with you.

Today, in this edition of the new Story Sparks & Surprises interview series, Whittingham shares the memories that sparked the book, how collaboration with her illustrator reshaped the story, and why some goodbyes are too big for just one page. Check it out right here!

Open Book:

Every picture book starts somewhere. What was the spark for this story, and how did it evolve from your first rough draft to the final pages we see today?

Wendy J. Whittingham:

The idea for this story came from my own personal experience of the difficulty of changing countries and the uncertainty of the future that I experienced as a child. When I was 11 years old, the adults in my family made the decision to emigrate from Kingston, Jamaica to Toronto, Canada.

To be honest, I could have happily written a much longer book on the subject, but I pared it down to picture book length. I started with the day that reality set in. It was the day a shipping crate was delivered to our home in Jamaica. The crate sat in the middle of the living room and seemed to dominate the entire house. Family members began carefully placing their possessions inside the huge, wooden box. I couldn’t bear to watch this undertaking, and barefoot, I headed outdoors. I began collecting things that were special to me—shells, pebbles, seed pods, feathers. Later, I tucked them into the corners of the crate. These were the items that I wanted to remember.

OB:

Collaboration can be its own adventure. How did working with your illustrator or co-author shape the story? Were there moments when the art rewrote the text—or the text inspired the art in unexpected ways?

WJW:

I am beyond pleased with how illustrator Brianna McCarthy handled the artwork. While it’s not exactly what I had initially envisioned, it couldn’t have been, as Brianna brought her own unique artistic interpretation to the project. I feel the artwork exceeded my expectations and turned out better than I even thought was possible. I absolutely love the wrap-around cover! Overall, Brianna’s vision captured my story perfectly while adding fresh elements I hadn’t thought of.

OB:

Read-aloud magic: is there a line or a page turn that always makes kids (and you) pause, giggle, or gasp? What makes it land?

WJW:

The line: “Last Lick! Last swim, last, last! They seem to say.” I love this line because my story is based on a game called “last lick” which is played in Jamaica and other Caribbean islands. It’s like a game of tag among friends who are parting company, which in my case resulted in many madcap races around the gardens, trying to avoid getting the “last lick” or touch.

OB:

Picture books pack big feelings into just a few words. How did you keep the heart of the book on the page without being too on-the-nose or “message-y”?

WJW:

I focused on showing rather than telling. I let the child narrator experience the transition from one country to another through moments like taking a last look at her neighbourhood and a first look at the big city she has relocated to. I believe that for the most part children naturally interpret emotions through what they see and feel, not through explanations.

OB:

Rhythm, rhyme, repetition—sometimes they’re superpowers, sometimes tricky traps. What’s your secret for getting the sound and flow just right?

WJW:

When I was working on the sound and flow of my story, I read it out loud to myself—and to anyone else who was willing to listen! I also had input from family members for names of places and things.

OB:

Representation matters. How did you make sure your characters or communities were portrayed with care? Who did you talk to or what research did you dive into?

WJW:

I based some of the characters on my own family members. I also drew upon real Caribbean families I was familiar with. The story shows a child observing Caribbean people leaving their home country to seek opportunities in another country. The key was staying true to how a child would actually think and speak. When you write from that genuine place of childhood perspective, the heart of the story comes through without having to announce itself.

I believe kids are incredibly perceptive. They don’t need everything spelled out for them. By keeping the language simple and the observations authentic, the deeper themes emerged naturally without forcing them.

OB:

If a teacher or librarian built a storytime or lesson around your book, what’s the activity or discussion you’d secretly hope they do?

WJW:

I’d love for teachers or librarians to ask children to share personal stories about their own families, especially if they have relatives who live far away. They could create a family map that shows where different family members live as a fun activity. They could also be invited to talk about the ways they stay connected through phone calls, video chats or letters.

Children could also be asked to discuss the reasons why families move away from each other. Most importantly, I’d hope that the adults would emphasize that family love doesn’t disappear across distance. I’d want children to understand that many families have these experiences of separation and connection, and that there are so many different ways to be a family, even when you’re not all in the same place.

OB:

What extras did you include—or leave out—and why?

WJW:

I deliberately chose not to include certain discussions. I believe that young children don’t necessarily fully understand the reasons why their family members emigrate; they just feel the sadness and uncertainty of the departure itself.

Including harder subjects like Jamaica’s crime issues and limited work opportunities would have shifted the book’s overall feeling. While these are real and important issues that cause people to leave, I wanted to focus on how a child feels about their family leaving the country where they were born, not the difficult adult reasons behind these decisions.

By exploring the idea of moving countries, my hope is that young readers will become curious and ask questions. I wanted to show that permanently leaving doesn’t mean abandoning your homeland or forgetting where you came from.

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Wendy J. Whittingham is a writer and illustrator who lives in Burlington, Ontario. She illustrated the picture book Miss Wondergem’s Dreadfully Dreadful Pie by Valerie Sherrard. The Last Last is her authorial debut.

Brianna McCarthy is a mixed-media visual communicator and self-taught artist. She is the illustrator of If Dominican Were a Color by Sili Recio and When I See You by Brynne Barnes. Brianna lives in Trinidad and Tobago.