Eric Carle Emily Byrd Tara Riley Krista Byrne Angela Buragilo

Eric Carle “Let's put it this way: if you are a novelist, I think you start out with a 20 word idea, and you work at it and you wind up with a 200,000 word novel. We, picture-book people, or at least I, start out with 200,000 words and I reduce it to 20.” Eric Carle

Interesting Facts He does not use computers to make the actual book. He tries to honor his father’s and recapture the happy memories with him by writing about small living things. Eric Carle’s favorite book of the one’s he has written is: Do You Want to be My Friend? He does not have a favorite color he loves them all and likes combination of colors better then an individual color. He wanted to be a forester when he was younger. Early 1970’s he started growing his beard while in the hospital for two broken vertebrae. He speaks English and German.

Biography Eric Carle was born in Syracuse, New York on 1929 and lived there until 1935. He remembers his life there to be a happy time, filled with lots of drawings. Just after Carle started first grade, his family moved to Stuttgart, Germany, his father's original home. Carle grew up in Hitler's Germany as they were preparing for war. He attended very strict schooling, but he received encouragement from a teacher who praised his drawings in class. Through his artwork, he quickly adapted and made friends. When war came in 1939, Carle’s world was changed. His father was gone for over eight years, fighting the war as a member of the German army and consequently held as a POW. He and his family spent many nights in an air-raid shelter. Even during wartime, Carle found ways to learn about art. His teachers saw potential in him, and taught him about the “risky” forms of art (like abstract) that the Nazi’s didn’t approve of. His high school art teacher, Herr Krauss, influenced him greatly. In 1947 Carle’s father returned, and Carle was enrolled in the fine arts academy, designing posters for the American information center in Stuttgart. In 1952 Carle felt confident enough about his work to take his portfolio to the United States, but was drafted for war and taken back to Stuttgart. It was during this time he met his first wife. When discharged from war, the couple moved back to New York and had two children.

Life of Eric Carle In 1963 Carle quit his full-time job and began working as a freelance artist. He says, “I had come to the conclusion that I didn't want to sit in meetings, write memos, entertain clients, and catch commuter trains. I simply wanted to create pictures.” In 1964 Carle and his wife split, and he met Bill Martin, who asked him to do illustrations for the children’s books he had written. After working alongside Bill Martin, Carle met Ann Beneduce who helped him create and publish his first two books: 1, 2, 3 to the Zoo (1968) and The Very Hungry Caterpillar (1969). The Very Hungry Caterpillar became an immediate best seller, and won several awards. Today millions of copies have been sold, and it has been translated into 30 different languages.

Events of Eric Carle In 1977 Carle introduced another new invention in his book The Grouchy Ladybug: the pages grow in size as larger and larger animals appear on them. Carle is well known for his “very” series of books, as well has his books that deal with numbers letters, the alphabet and other activities for young children. Some of these books include: The Very Quiet Cricket, The Very Busy Spider, The Very Lonely Firefly and My Very First Book. Carle has written many poems for young children, and produced many stand-alone titles that are educational yet fun for younger readers. Today Is Monday, Books for Keeps, and Little Cloud encourage close observation to shapes and changes. In the years that follow Carle used his childhood in Germany to create several other books including his award-winning Draw Me a Star, his autobiographical My Apron: A Story from My Childhood, and Flora and Tiger: Nineteen Very Short Stories from My Life, which appeal to older children. Since the new millennium Carle has published best sellers like Does a kangaroo Have a Mother, Too? and Dream Snow, for the holiday season. He has worked closely with Japanese artist Kazuo Iwamura to create a bilingual book Where Are You Going? To See My Friend! which reads from left to right in English for the first half of the book, and then from right to left in transliterated Japanese from the back half of the book. On November 22, 2002 the Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art opened in Amherst, Massachusetts, founded by Carle and his wife, Barbara. In 2003 Bill Martin and Carle created a third bear book Panda Bear, Panda bear, What Do You See?

The themes of Eric Carle’s stories are usually drawn from his extensive knowledge and love of nature—an interest shared by most small children. Besides being beautiful and entertaining, his books always offer the child the opportunity to learn something about the world around them. It is his concern for children, for their feelings and their inquisitiveness, for their creativity and their intellectual growth that, in addition to his beautiful artwork, makes the reading of his books such a stimulating and lasting experience. Themes

Concepts Eric Wants Children To Know: Carle says: “With many of my books I attempt to bridge the gap between the home and school. To me home represents, or should represent; warmth, security, toys, holding hands, being held. School is a strange and new place for a child. Will it be a happy place? There are new people, a teacher, classmates—will they be friendly? Eric Carle said he believes the passage from home to school is the second biggest trauma of childhood; the first is, of course, being born. Indeed, in both cases we leave a place of warmth and protection for one that is unknown. The unknown often brings fear with it. In his books he tries to counteract this fear, to replace it with a positive message. He believes that children are naturally creative and eager to learn. He wants to show them that learning is really both fascinating and fun.

Genres Eric Carle is most recognized as the picture book genre. What is fascinating about his books are that most of them are written and illustrated by him as well. He has won many awards for his hard work and dedication to the children in our schools.

What makes Eric Carle’s Work Distinctive? Eric Carle paints on tissue paper for his illustrations. Tissue Paper After painting on the tissue paper, he uses it to create the characters and items in his stories. Creating Pictures

Artistic Style & Media Eric Carle’s art is distinctive and instantly recognizable. His unique art work is created in collage style, using hand-painted papers, which he cuts and layers to form bright and colorful images. Many of his books have added effects including: twinkling lights as in The Very Lonely Firefly and the lifelike sound of a cricket in The Very Quiet Cricket. His work is also different because he uses a unique method for his art work. Here are examples: Makes pictures by starting with plain tissue paper Then paints it different colors with acrylics using wide and small brushes or just his fingers. Cuts shapes out of these colored pieces and glues them to an illustration board to create his artwork.

Awards Silver Medal from the City of Milano, Italy, 1989 The 1995 David McCord Children’s Literature Citation, Framingham State College + The Nobscot Reading Council of the International Reading Association, 1995 University of Southern Mississippi Medallion from DeGrumond Collection, University of Southern Mississippi, Hattisburg, MS, 1997 Regina Medal, Catholic Library Association, 1999 Outstanding Friend of Children, Pittsburgh Children’s Museum, 1999 Japan Picture Book Award, Presented by Mainichi Newspaper for Lifetime Achievement, 2000 Honorary Degree from College of Our Lady the Elms, Chicopee, MA, 2001 Officer’s Cross of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany, 2001 Honorary Degree from Niagara University, Niagara, NY, 2002 Laura Ingalls Wilder Award from the Association for Library Service to Children, American Library Association, 2003

Eric Carle’s Books 1967-1980 Written and Illustrated 1968: 1, 2, 3 to the Zoo 1969: The Very Hungry Caterpillar 1970: The Tiny Seed, Pancakes, Pancakes! 1971: Do You Want to Be My Friend? 1972: Walter the Baker, The Secret Birthday Message, The Very Long Train (Folding Book), The Very Long Tail (Folding Book), Rooster’s Off to See the World 1973: I See a Song, Have You Seen My Cat? 1974: All About Arthur, My Very First Book of Numbers, My Very First Book of Colors, My Very First Book of Shapes, My Very First Book of Words 1975: The Mixed-Up Chameleon 1976: Eric Carle’s Storybook, Seven Tales by the Brothers Grimm 1977: The Grouchy Ladybug 1978: Seven Stories by Hans Christian Andersen, Watch Out! A Giant! 1980: Twelve Tales from Aesop Illustrated 1967: Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? Written by Bill Martin Jr. 1971: The Scarecrow Clock. Written by George Mendoza, Feathered Ones and Furry. Written by Aileen Fisher, The Boastful Fisherman. Written by William Knowlton, Tales of the Nimipoo. Written by Eleanor B. Hardy 1973: Do Bears Have Mothers Too? Written by Aileen Fisher 1974: Why Noah Chose the Dove. Written by Isaac Bashevis Singer 1975: The Hole in the Dike. Written by Norma Green

Eric Carle’s Books 1981-1990 Written and Illustrated 1981: The Honeybee and the Robber 1982: Catch the Ball!, Let’s Paint A Rainbow, What’s For Lunch? 1984: The Very Busy Spider 1986: All in a Day, My Very First Book of Sounds, My Very First Book of Food, My Very First Book of Tools, My Very First Book of Touch, My Very First Book of Motion, My Very First Book of Growth, My Very First Book of Homes, My Very First Book of Heads, Papa, Please Get the Moon for Me, All Around Us 1987: A House for Hermit Crab 1988: Eric Carle’s Treasury of Classic Stories for Children, The Lamb and the Butterfly 1989: Animals Animals 1990: The Very Quiet Cricket Illustrated 1982: Otter Nonsense. Written by Norton Juster 1983: Chip Has Many Brothers. Written by Hans Baumann (Thank You, Brother Bear, 1995) 1985: The Mountain that Loved a Bird. Written by Alice McLerran, The Greedy Python. Written by Richard Buckley, The Foolish Tortoise. Written by Richard Buckley

Eric Carle’s Books 1991-2007 Written and Illustrated Illustrated 1991: Dragons Dragons 1992: Draw Me a Star 1993: Eric Carle: Picture Writer, Today Is Monday 1994: My Apron 1995: The Very Lonely Firefly 1996: The Art of Eric Carle, Little Cloud 1997: Flora and Tiger: 19 very short stories from my life, From Head to Toe 1998: You Can Make a Collage: A Very Simple How-to Book, Hello, Red Fox 1999: The Very Clumsy Click Beetle 2000: Dream Snow, Does A Kangaroo Have A Mother, Too? 2002: “Slowly, Slowly, Slowly,” said the Sloth 2003: Where Are You Going? To See My Friend! 2004: Mister Seahorse 2005: 10 Little Rubber Ducks 2007: Baby Bear, Baby Bear, What Do You See? Illustrated 1991: Polar Bear, Polar Bear, What Do You Hear? Written by Bill Martin Jr. 2003: Panda Bear, Panda Bear, What Do You See? Written by Bill Martin Jr.

Eric Carle’s Books In Spanish De la cabeza a los pies: From Head to Toe El grillo silencioso: The Very Quiet Cricket El Canguro Tiene Mamá: Does A Kangaroo Have A Mother, Too? La Araña Muy Ocupada: The Very Busy Spider La mariquita malhumorada: The Grouchy Ladybug La Oruga Muy Hambrienta: The Very Hungry Caterpillar Oso Pardo, Oso Pardo, Qué Ves Ahi?: Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? Oso Polar, Oso Polar, Qué Es Ese Ruido?: Polar Bear, Polar Bear, What Do You Hear?

Panda Bear, Panda Bear, What Do You See? Teaching Strategies Panda Bear, Panda Bear, What Do You See? is about different endangered species. With this book you could teach the students about the different species in this story. You could explain to the students that each animal has its own habitat, and that all the habitats are different from one another. Then you could put the children in small groups and have them create their own habitat for one of the animals in the story. This would teach them about the animal and help them learn ways to protect the species. Then you could do a follow up activity by going to the zoo.

A House for Hermit Crab Hermit Crab moves out of his small shell on the sea floor, in search of a new house when he outgrows his shell. When he finds a bigger place he begins looking for other animals to move in and help him make this new shell home. A sea anemone agrees to move in with him and a starfish says he will decorate the new shell. He sees a snail picking up algae and asks it to move in and clean his house and a sea urchin is hired for protection. A lantern fish comes in for lighting and pebbles are used for a wall. Hermit lives happily for a while but realizes that it is quickly time to move again because this shell has also become too small. He lets a smaller crab move into his old shell and sets out to find a new home.

Teaching Ideas Art project: -give students their own blank shell and let them decorate it with pictures from magazines and other art supplies similar to the collage style of the author Science: -learn about different habitats of various animals, where and what they live in -can also learn vocabulary and animals in the ocean (sea anemones, coral, sea urchins)

The Secret Birthday Message In this creative and fun book, Eric Carle changes the way we would typically give a birthday gift. It starts when Tim receives a letter written in code, sending him on an exciting treasure hunt through a dark cave, an underground tunnel, and other strange places. When he reaches the end he finds a happy surprise, a puppy in a basket with a tag on his paw saying, “Happy Birthday!” This children’s book was creatively written with cutout shapes and vivid colors that can get almost anyone excited about the wonderful adventure Tim goes on. It is an excellent book for elementary aged children because it gets them excited about reading. They have to follow the clues along with Tim before they can find out what the surprise is in the end.

Teaching Ideas It could be implemented into a classroom because it introduces pattern-recognition, the matching of shapes, following instructions and simple map reading. All of these are skills a teacher could expand upon in an activity. This book would be a fun introduction to get children thinking about these important things and how they effect our daily lives.

Little Cloud This book is very cute and entertaining for young children. “Little Cloud” can’t be seen at the beginning of the book, but after the big clouds moved out of the way, “Little Cloud” could be seen. “Little Cloud” decided that he wanted to turn himself into many different things such as: a sheep, airplane, shark, tree, rabbit, and a clown. Then at the end of the book, all the clouds came together as one big cloud and caused it to rain.

Teaching Ideas There are many ways this book could be used in the classroom. As the teacher you could: Let the students do an art session where they can pretend that cotton balls are the clouds, and they get to choose what they want to make out of the clouds. You could also do a science lesson about the different types of clouds, and what happens to the clouds when it rains.

References http://www.ves.k12.nf.ca/Activities/Carle.htm The Official Eric Carle Web Site. Eric Carle. 11 November 2007 <http://www.eric-carle.com/home.html> http://www.eric-carle.com/faqs.html http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eric_Carle Scholastic Review of Eric Carle: http://content.scholastic.com/browse/article.jsp?id=3234 Key Biographical notes for Eric Carle: http://www.eric-carle.com/bio.html Biography of Eric Carle http://www.biography.com/search/article.do?id=9238169 The Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art: http://www.picturebookart.org/ The Official Eric Carle Website: http://www.eric-carle.com/home.html