Last night while reading an article about George Orwell’s 1984, I became weary of the author’s summation that 2024 could replicate Orwell’s fictionalized dystopian landscape.
Then I saw another topic related to the acclaimed children’s book author Eric Carle. I thought the Eric Carle submission would provide lighter reading material. Unfortunately, I realized Eric Carle had died. Since he was one of my favorite children’s writers, I felt disheartened by the news. Eric Carle brought into the world colorful tales. He constructed playful animal collages out of bits of tissue paper and die cuts. Then Eric turned his collages into picturesque stories featuring bugs, animals, and nature. He introduced them in a new light. Eric’s books encouraged children to talk about emotions and open up by sharing their opinions of his character’s vulnerabilities.
Even though the name Eric Carle will always be synonymous with The Very Hungry Caterpillar, I am reminiscent of Brown Bear Brown Bear What Do You See? Polar Bear Polar Bear What Do You Hear? Panda Bear Panda Bear What Do You See?, and The Mixed-Up Chameleon.
His titles: I See A Song, The Artist Who Painted A Horse Blue, and Do You Want To Be My Friend? allow young readers to uniquely articulate their perception of the world.
