If you’re looking for a book to smash gender stereotypes, then you don’t need to look any further than Mr. Seahorse! Mr. Seahorse is a caring father, and a good looking one too! The Bird Feed NYC uses some very interesting art techniques to capture the seahorse’s beauty, while learning some fun facts about it! The result is an array of books that are much more than the simple text within them. They are masterpieces in their own right, and for millions of children around the world, probably their very first introduction to the world of art. This isn’t to underplay the significance of the prose – those words teach kids that actions have consequences (The Very Hungry Caterpillar), change isn’t that bad (A House for Hermit), do what you love (Walter the Baker), being nice is better (The Grouchy Ladybug), focus on your work and put in your best, and the result will be there for everyone to see (The Very Busy Spider).

This is our third story time in this six-week series where we are building the theme on various aspects of the Carle classic "hungry caterpillar". Sometimes a two-dimensional craft cannot do justice to Eric Carle’s incredible illustrations, which is when you need to go 3-D? Buggy and Buddy has done this with a remarkable cardboard roll craft based on the ‘ The Very Lonely Firefly‘, using different art materials and various techniques.

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The next few of our library story times for pre-school age children will highlight the "transformation", "color", and "artistic expression" aspects of the story. (We are, after all, talking about Dr.Sue McCleaf Nespeca's theory... I appreciated the section How Eric Carle Creates His Art; A photo essay on his technique. I recently created an Eric Carle inspired art project for children at our library, and felt a kinship as I read this.. I didn't know his exacrt technique at the time, but all the flat spaces in my home looked very much like his studio as I had messy fun painting textures and colors on thin paper to be later used for collage. Carle is one of the most beloved illustrators of children’s books. This retrospective is more than just an appreciation of his art, however. The book also contains an insightful autobiography illustrated with personal photographs, an anecdotal essay by his longtime editor, a photographic essay on how Carle creates his collages, and writings by Carle and his colleagues. Still, it is the artwork in the oversize volume that seizes the imagination. More than 60 of his full-color collage pictures are handsomely reproduced and serve as a statement of Carle’s impressive talent.”

Eric Carle (June 25, 1929 – May 23, 2021) was an American author, designer and illustrator of children's books. [2] His picture book The Very Hungry Caterpillar, first published in 1969, has been translated into more than 66 languages and sold more than 50 million copies. Carle's career as an illustrator and children's book author took off after he collaborated on Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?. Carle illustrated more than 70 books, most of which he also wrote, and more than 145 million copies of his books have been sold around the world. [3]He shares photographs of his life, and memories of wartime, hunger, and corporal punishment in Hitler's Nazi Germany, as well as friendship, family, and teachers who impacted him in both negative and positive ways. And he shares the inspiration and motivation behind his work. Carle wrote and/or illustrated more than 75 books, sometimes partnering with Bill Martin Jr or other authors, but most with Carle working alone. One of his last books was 2015’s The Nonsense Show, which centred on a parade of flying fish, cat-taming mice and circus animals. Carle was sent to the small town of Schwenningen to escape the bombings of Stuttgart. [8] When he was 15, the German government conscripted boys of that age to dig trenches on the Siegfried Line. Carle did not care to think about it deeply and said his wife thought he suffered from post-traumatic stress.