On our bookshelf: Eric Carle

One of my favorite children's book authors is Eric Carle. Of course, his most famous book is the The Very Hungry Caterpillar. This book is well-deserving of its fame, and is beloved in our home.

Did you know that caterpillar has been around for 40 years?

His first book Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? was a collaboration with Bill Martin Jr. Published in 1967 it quickly became a best seller. We added it to our permanent book collection this past Christmas.

One of our favorite Eric Carle books is From Head to Toe.

"I am a gorilla and I thump my chest. Can you do it?"

This one was an early favorite in our family. I just discovered this photo from 2005, when the Ant Bug was nearly a year old. It's a great book for the times when you also need a little activity, since it gives the readers the opportunity to move their bodies like various animals. It was also a hit with our ward nursery on a few occasions.

Another one that has been on our library checkout list numerous times is Papa, please get the moon for me. The fold-out pages are a lot of fun.

I thought this was an interesting description of his work:

"Eric Carle’s art is distinctive and instantly recognizable. His art work is created in collage technique, using hand-painted papers, which he cuts and layers to form bright and cheerful images. Many of his books have an added dimension—die-cut pages, twinkling lights as in The Very Lonely Firefly, even the lifelike sound of a cricket’s song as in The Very Quiet Cricket - giving them a playful quality: a toy that can be read, a book that can be touched. Children also enjoy working in collage and many send him pictures they have made themselves, inspired by his illustrations. He receives hundreds of letters each week from his young admirers."(Taken from The Official Eric Carle Web Site)

He has illustrated more than 70 books, and you can see the complete list here. Which one is your favorite?