Is there anyone who doesn’t love Eric Carle’s colorful children’s books?

I can’t imagine that there is.

I distinctly remember reading The Very Hungry Caterpillar as a child. I was a very hungry kid, and I related to the chubby bug.

Except for the turning into a beautiful butterfly part. I’m not sure I got around to that.

I noticed yesterday that its author, Eric Carle, was turning 80, so I dug around through our living room to see how many of his books were sitting around. They are in the photo at the right. A few are library books, but most are from our personal collection.

Grace’s favorite among Eric Carle’s books is Have You Seen My Cat? and mine is 10 Little Rubber Ducks.

I’ve been keeping up with his blog ever since Allie featured it on No Time for Flashcards. He doesn’t post a whole lot, but I have really enjoy reading his thoughts on his books, his art, and his life.

Eric Carle also has a website full of information, including resources for parents and teachers and a complete list of his books. There are dozens of books I’d not heard of before, including Why Noah Chose the Dove, The Mixed-Up Chameleon, and Draw Me a Star.

Mr. Carle founded the Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art in Massachusetts, and I’m going to make a push for a visit.

You can should also watch Eric Carle on YouTube. I am happy to say that he is just as I’d imagined (except that he likes sushi, that was a surprise).

• A lovely interview about Brown Bear, Brown Bear and Baby Bear, Baby Bear
• Reading Brown Bear, Brown Bear
• A Q&A session
• Discussing The Very Hungry Caterpillar and how he creates his art
• His commencement address at Bates College. Among his advice to the graduates is “Be kind.” What’s not to love? (Watch this one to the end. The last 30 seconds are quite funny.)

If you love Eric Carle’s books, and you want to share them with some little people in your life, you might consider some of the following activities:

• Spider activities and a spider party related to The Very Busy Spider
• A caterpillar catching and a bunch of caterpillar and butterfly activities related to The Very Hungry Caterpillar
• Star activities related to Draw Me A Star
• Cricket activities related to A Very Quiet Cricket
• Ladybug activities related to The Grouchy Ladybug
• A cat activity related to Have You Seen My Cat
• From Head to Toe activities
• Activities related to Little Cloud
• Zoo activities related to a number of Eric Carle’s books
• Cards inspired by Eric Carle’s signature tissue paper collages

I’m sure I’ve missed some great activities. Will you list yours in the comments?

Happily submitted to Finer Things Friday, Hooked on Fridays, and Monday’s Muse