Among Eric’s design-world mentors and peers were Bruno Munari, Leo Lionni, Dick Bruna, Ivan Chermayeff, and Paul Rand. The International Youth Library, IBBY, and the Bologna Children’s Book Fair all had their origins in this hopeful impulse and movement. When his longtime editor Ann Beneduce was asked to explain the Eric Carle phenomenon, she pointed first to the originality of his art and then to Eric’s deep concern for the “emotional, aesthetic, and intellectual growth of children.” As she noted, “That seems like a heavy burden to deliver in a simple picture book, but that is what makes his books so distinctive.” Like Maria Montessori, Eric knew that “play is the work of the child.” He saw the picture book as a kind of playground for learning, and he approached his work as an artist and storyteller with a rare talent for meeting children at eye level on the page.Įric belonged to the postwar generation of graphic artists who believed that harmonious design had an important role to play in people’s everyday lives - a life-enhancing role with the potential to elevate and inspire, and perhaps even to increase the chances for a more peaceful world. Paraphrasing that message, he said: “You - little insignificant caterpillar - can grow up into a beautiful butterfly and fly into the world with your talent.” In more reflective moments, he attributed the popularity of his best-known picture book, The Very Hungry Caterpillar, to the fact that children everywhere seemed to find the same message of hope in its story. Eric always seemed a little puzzled by the outsized success of his picture books and would sometimes quote a sardonic old German proverb - “The dumbest peasant grows the biggest potatoes” - by way of suggesting that perhaps sheer luck had had something to do with it. The news of Eric Carle’s (1929–2021) death last May sparked a worldwide outpouring of affection from four generations of readers who were moved to recall the joy his books had given them over the years. (c) The Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art. His work remains an important influence on artists and illustrators at work today. Eric Carle passed away in May 2021 at the age of 91. In 2002, Eric and his wife, Barbara, cofounded The Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art (in Amherst, Massachusetts, a 40,000-square-foot space dedicated to the celebration of picture books and picture book illustrations from around the world, underscoring the cultural, historical, and artistic significance of picture books and their art form. In 2003, Carle received the Laura Ingalls Wilder Award (now called the Children’s Literature Legacy Award) for lifetime achievement in children's literature. Carle illustrated more than seventy books, many best sellers, most of which he also wrote, and more than 170 million copies of his books have sold around the world. His best-known work, The Very Hungry Caterpillar, has been translated into 70 languages and sold over 55 million copies. Please use two 1.5 volt L1131 button cell batteries.Įric Carle is acclaimed and beloved as the creator of brilliantly illustrated and innovatively designed picture books for very young children. Full of Eric Carle's gorgeous and lush collage art, a gentle rhythmic text for read-alouds, and a wonder-inducing surprise at the end, The Very Quiet Cricket remains an all-time favorite from one of the true masters of picture-book making.īatteries are replaceable. This board book edition is the perfect size for little hands. Īs children turn the page on this wonderful moment, they are greeted with a surprise-an actual chirp! Until the day he meets another cricket, a female, and something different happens. The cricket rubs his wings together each time, but nothing happens, not a sound. The quiet cricket then makes his way into the world, meeting one insect after another, each of whom greets the little cricket with a cheery hello-the hum of a bee, the whirr of a dragonfly, the whisper of a praying mantis. The tiny cricket tries to respond, but there is no sound. One day a tiny cricket is born and meets a big cricket who chirps his welcome. A perfect gift to share with the child or grandchild in your life. St Joseph's University (Brooklyn Voices Series)įrom bestselling author and illustrator Eric Carle, the creator of The Very Hungry Caterpillar, comes another classic tale about one very quiet cricket.
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