Eric Carle's Blog, page 16

Ezra Jack Keats

It is a delight and an honor to have the work of Ezra Jack Keats on exhibit at The Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art. In the mid-1960's, when I was just getting started as an illustrator of books for children, a friend of mine offered to introduce me to Ezra Keats, a Caldecott Medal Winner. The truth was, I did not know what the Caldecott Medal was or meant at that early stage of my career.
Soon afterward, I was fortunate to have lunch with the very kind and warm Ezra Jack Keats. After lunch, Ezra invited me to his studio where he showed me how he created his beautiful marbled papers. We talked about the business of publishing, he explained so much to me. And he assured me -- I had not quite made the leap of faith into the new direction I was heading -- a living could be made from illustrating books for children.
So, from strangers to colleagues, we soon became friends. We had dinners together and went to parties at each other's apartments in the Village or the Upper Eastside. I was a greenhorn at the threshold of the world of picture book making, and he an experienced professional who reached out to me, such a kind and generous spirit.
I hope you will enjoy the exhibit of his work and if you cannot see it at the Museum, enjoy his wonderful books. 

Ezra Jack Keats, 1973. Photo: Beverly Hall. The Snowy Day and The Art of Ezra Jack Keats is organized by The Jewish Museum, New York, from the collection of the de Grummond Children's Literature Collection, The University of Southern Mississippi. The exhibition was funded at The Jewish Museum through a generous grant from the Ezra Jack Keats Foundation. Additional support was provided by the Joseph Alexander Foundation, the Alfred J. Grunebaum Fund, and the Winnick Family Foundation. Exhibition support at The Carle has been generously provided by Penguin Young Readers Group and the Ezra Jack Keats Foundation.

Birthday gift

I have been enjoying my birthday week in Massachusetts, especially this past Saturday when it was such a gift to meet so many friends at my annual book signing at The Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art. It gives me a hopeful feeling to see the families together and to meet the teachers and parents and grandparents. Thank you so much for coming all who were there - from near and far - I had a great time!

Photo credit: Kristin Angel

My Annual Book Signing

I am looking forward to seeing friends and visitors and to signing books with my favorite blue pens at
The Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art on Saturday, June 23, 2012. For more information about the signing, please visit the Museum's web site here. Hope to see you there!

Summer fruits

Soon it will be summer and it will be time for The Very Hungry Caterpillar Fruit Salad!

1 Apple
2 Pears
3 Plums
4 Strawberries
5 Oranges
bunch of mint leaves

Peel, pare, seed, hull and section each fruit.
Cut into bite-sized pieces.
Then put them all together in a big bowl and chill.
Garnish each serving with a sprig of mint.

Serve to a small group of friends, after reading a good book.
You'll enjoy every bit of it!

Dolly Parton's Imagination Library

Thank you to my friends at Dolly Parton's Imagination Library for selecting my book 1, 2, 3 to the Zoo to be included in their impressive program. This literacy program has donated nearly 40 million books to children in the United States, Canada and the UK. I am honored to be a part of the Imagination Library and hope you will enjoy learning about it, too!

Happy Mother's Day

                                           
         To all mothers everywhere!

Remembering Maurice Sendak

As are so many friends and readers of his brilliant books, I too am remembering the king and genius of the picture book who has left for the land of the Wild Things. These photos bring back wonderful memories of the opening celebration of The Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art, 10 years ago. Maurice graced us with his presence and the walls of the Museum with his glorious work. Thank you Maurice Sendak. We will miss you. Photo credit: Michael Neugebauer

The Peaceful Sloth

Around the time the building of The Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art was coming to completion, nearly a decade ago, I was feeling overwhelmed, and so I locked myself in my studio and hung out the DO NOT DISTURB sign. My life had become so busy with meetings and appointments. That was when the gentle and slow moving Sloth came to my mind. I became fascinated by this strange creature that sleeps up to 20 out of 24 hours; this boring animal who eats 10% of what animals of equal size and weight consume; this expressionless critter who lives by itself and rarely makes a noise seemed the perfect antidote to the hectic situation I found myself in. Our lives have become increasingly frenetic. We are constantly bombarded by all kinds of messages about scandals, wars and what soap to buy. We eat fast food, rush to the next appointment, click away at our computers, fly and drive in all directions. Maybe the peaceful Sloth can teach us something...? This image is an alternative collage illustration that was not used in my book Slowly, Slowly, Slowly, said the Sloth. You might be interested to know that pictures from my book Slowly are currently on exhibit at The Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art and that this year -- 2012 -- the Museum will be celebrating its 10th anniversary!

Mermaid Theatre visits Massachusetts

The puppeteers and stage managers of The Mermaid Theatre of Nova Scotia bring my stories to life on stage in the black-light puppetry productions of my books. One such troupe (including Christine Oakey, Sarah-Jean Begin
and Dan Bates in photo above) recently performed in Massachusetts and stopped by The Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art and our offices in Western MA. If only I had been there to say hello and thank them in person. I know they work very hard using their talents to make magic happen. They are currently touring in North America. Since October, they have performed for more than 100,000 spectators and have traveled more than 49,000 miles! I hope you will be able to see one of their upcoming shows.

Here is a link to the schedule.

Happy Very Hungry Caterpillar Day!