An Author Study By Lindsey Maas

Who is

• Eric Carle was born on June 25, 1929. That makes him 85 years old.

Eric Carle with his Parents

• He was born in New York, but moved to Germany when he was 6 years old.

• His father joined the German Army during World War Two when he was a child. This made his childhood very difficult.

Eric and his father, Erich, on a boat, going over to Germany.

Eric had a childhood filled with worry. He worried about his father in war, and he worried about his safety during World War 2. Eric chooses to create fun and beautiful picture books for children, I hopes of creating a brighter and happier childhood for the children who read them.

As a child, Eric and his father used to collect flowers, leaves, bugs, and small creatures. Many of his picture books have a “nature” theme. Can you think of any Eric Carle Books that carry this theme?

• After attending college in Germany, Eric moved back to New York City and became a graphic designer for the New York Times.

• An author by the name of Bill Martin, saw a picture of a red lobster that Eric had created for an advertisement. He loved the lobster and asked Eric to create a children’s book with him. From this friendship, the book Brown Bear Brown Bear was created.

Eric working at an advertising agency in New York City

Eric Carle’s First Books

Published in 1967

Published in 1969

Eric Carle has illustrated more than 70 books!• What does “Illustrated” mean?

-Illustrated means that he created the pictures for a book.

• Do you notice the “nature” theme?• Have you read any of these books?

1965, Aesop's Fables for Modern Readers (Peter Pauper Press) (illustrator)1965, Nature Thoughts: A Selection (Peter Pauper Press) (illustrator)1966, On Friendship: A Selection (Peter Pauper Press) (illustrator)1967, Flower Thoughts: A Selection (Peter Pauper Press) (illustrator)1967, Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? (illustrator)1968, 1, 2, 3 to the Zoo1969, The Very Hungry Caterpillar1970, Pancakes, Pancakes!1970, The Tiny Seed1970, Tales of the Nincompoop (illustrator)1970, The Boastful Fisherman (illustrator)1971, Feathered Ones and Furry (illustrator)1971, The Scarecrow Clock (illustrator)1971, Do You Want to Be My Friend?1972, Rooster’s Off to See the World1972, The Very Long Tail1972, The Secret Birthday Message1972, Walter the Baker1973, Do Bears Have Mothers Too? (illustrator)1973, Have You Seen My Cat?1973, I See a Song, 19731974, Split-page book collection:My Very First Book of NumbersMy Very First Book of ColorsMy Very First Book of ShapesMy Very First Book of Words1974, Why Noah Chose the Dove (illustrator)1974, All About Arthur1975, The Hole in the Dike (illustrator)1975, The Mixed-Up Chameleon1976, Eric Carle’s Storybook, Seven Tales by the Brothers Grimm1977, The Grouchy Ladybug1978, Watch Out! A Giant!1978, Seven Stories by Hans Christian Andersen (sequel to Seven Tales by the Brothers Grimm)1980, Twelve Tales from Aesop1981, The Honeybee and the Robber1982, Otter Nonsense (illustrator)1982, Catch the Ball!1982, What's for Lunch1983, Chip Has Many Brothers (illustrator)1984, The Very Busy Spider1985, The Foolish Tortoise (illustrator)1985, The Greedy Python (illustrator, companion to The Foolish Tortoise)

1985, The Mountain that Loved a Bird (illustrator)1986, All Around Us1986, Papa, Please Get the Moon for Me1986, Group of small-format books:My Very First Book of SoundsMy Very First Book of FoodMy Very First Book of ToolsMy Very First Book of TouchMy Very First Book of MotionMy Very First Book of GrowthMy Very First Book of HomesMy Very First Book of Heads1986, All in a Day (Mitsumasa Anno editor)1987, A House for Hermit Crab1988, The Lamb and the Butterfly (illustrator)1988, Eric Carle’s Treasury of Classic Stories for Children1989, Animals Animals (illustrator)1990, The Very Quiet Cricket1991, Polar Bear, Polar Bear, What Do You Hear? (illustrator)1991, Dragons Dragons (illustrator)1992, Draw Me a Star1993, Today Is Monday1994, My Apron1995, The Very Lonely Firefly1996, Little Cloud1997, From Head to Toe1997, Flora and Tiger: 19 very short stories from my life1998, Hello, Red Fox1998, You Can Make a Collage: A Very Simple How-to Book1999, The Very Clumsy Click Beetle2000, Does A Kangaroo Have A Mother, Too?2000, Dream Snow2002, “Slowly, Slowly, Slowly,” said the Sloth2003, Where Are You Going? To See My Friend! (with Kazuo Iwamura)2003, Panda Bear, Panda Bear, What Do You See? (illustrator)2004, Mister Seahorse2005, 10 Little Rubber Ducks2006, My Very First Book of Numbers2007, Baby Bear, Baby Bear, What Do You See? (illustrator)2008, The Rabbit and the Turtle2009, Google Logo Design (illustrator)2009, The Very Hungry Caterpillar, Pop-Up Edition (40th Anniversary Tribute Book)2011, The Artist Who Painted A Blue Horse2013, Friends"2014, What's Your Favorite Animal?

Eric Carle reads, The Very Hungry Caterpillar.

• Eric and his wife, Bobbie, have two children, Cirsten and Rolf. Both Cirsten and Rolf studied art in school.

• Eric Carle has a grey cat named Annie.

• Eric opened the Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art in Massachusetts.

• Sometimes it takes years for Eric to finish just one book!

• Eric and his wife have two homes; one in North Carolina and one in Key West, Florida.

How much do YOU know about Eric Carle?

Question: Where was Eric Carle born?

New York!

Question: What country did Eric Carle move to when he was six years old?

Germany!

Question: What made Eric’s childhood difficult?

He lived in Germany during World War 2, and his father was in the German Army.

Question: What subject did Eric Study in school?

Art!

Question:What was Eric Carle’s first book?

Brown Bear Brown Bear, What do you See?

Question:

What theme does Eric Carle’s bookscarry?

Nature

Great job!Please turn to a partner, and share with them something that you have learned today about Eric Carle.