Eric Carle

   Most Children know and love Eric Carle, prolific author and illustrator of children’s books. Perhaps best known of his books, The Very Hungry Caterpillar tells the story of a caterpillar who emerges into a beautiful butterfly. In truth, Carle is saying that you too can be transformed into something beautiful as you unfold your colors and talents. The caterpillar is the face of the new Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art in Amherst, Massachusetts.
   Carle’s colorful, distinctive collage illustrations, composed of painted tissue paper, appeal to little ones. His books often contain special effects, such as a chirping cricket or the flashing lights of a firefly, and they may give scientific information as well. He firmly believes that picture books are best appreciated when an older person snuggles with a young one, who responds by anticipating, touching, and pointing. Such moments form a powerful connection between adult and child, and so it is with the Imagination Library.