We’re so excited for the opening of our newest exhibition, Seriously Silly: A Decade of Art and Whimsy by Mo Willems. We’re celebrating all weekend and we hope you can stop by to join us.
Friday, June 21st 8:00 pm – 10:00 pm
In coordination with the release of the Mo Willems’ newest book, Don’t Pigeonhole Me: Two Decades of the Mo Willems Sketchbook, The R. Michelson Galleries in Northampton, MA will be featuring non-illustration drawings and sculptures by Mo Willems. The Carle Bookshop will be there selling books, so be sure to stop by, check out the art, meet Mo and get a book or two. More details here.
Saturday, June 22nd 10:00 am – 5:00 pm Meet Elephant and Piggie!
Join us at The Carle on Saturday for a day full of activities and fun honoring Mo Willems and the opening of the exhibition Seriously Silly: A Decade of Art and Whimsy by Mo Willems. We’ll have activities in the gallery and Art Studio, films and storytimes featuring favorite books by Mo Willems and appearances by Elephant and Piggie! Bring your camera and check our website for times to be sure you don’t miss a chance to get a photo.
Photo by Marty Umans
Sunday, June 23rd 12:00 pm – 5:00 pm Meet Mo Willems!
Definitely a day not to miss! In addition to a full day of the fun Mo-themed activities planned (check our website for details and schedules), Mo Willems will be at The Carle to meet fans and sign books. Please note: Only one book will be allowed from home, but you can purchase an unlimited number of books at The Carle Bookshop to have signed by Mo Willems. He won’t be able to personalize books in order to make sure everyone has a chance to get a book signed before he leaves, but he’s so excited to meet all of you. He also will not be signing plush toys or board books (or anything else that’s unsafe that may go into a child’s mouth).
So come meet Mo! Get a book signed! Get your picture taken with Mo (please, no flash) or Elephant & Piggie! See Mo’s original art in the galleries! Make your own Pigeon in the art studio! Believe me, it’s going to be an AMAZING day. We hope to see all of you then.
If you just can’t make it to Amherst, MA this weekend, why not pre-order some autographed Mo Willems books online? We will get the books signed for you (sorry, no personalization) and ship them to you after the event. Autographed books make great gifts. Click here to see all of our available Mo Willems books and products. We’re super excited to now carry Mo Willems postcards and Pigeon fabric, too!
Esau Andrade Valencia He Dreamed of Pigs From Iowa, 2007 A Perfect Season for Dreaming – Un tiempo Perfecto Para Sonar by Benjamin Allire Saenz
After a long and snowy New England Winter, the bright colors of spring are a welcome change! Nothing suits the vibrancy and brightness of springbetter than our newest exhibition,Latino Folk Tales: Cuentos Populares-Art by Latino Artists, curated by Sylvia Nissley. If you haven’t seen it yet, the exhibition will be up until June 9th, and it is a wonderful and colorful celebration of Latino folklore and fairy tales as retold and illustrated by many celebrated Latino picture book artists, such as Raul Colón and Lulu Delacre. Click here to preview more images from this exhibition.
We’d had a lot of fun in The Carle Bookshop showcasing not only the books featured in this exhibition, but also a wide selection of other picture books celebrating Latino culture and history. We’re taken this opportunity to boost our bilingual and Spanish language books even more so that we carry not only all available Eric Carle books in Spanish, but a good deal of other classics, such as Abran paso a los patitos (Make Way for Ducklings), La Senorita Runfio (Miss Rumphius) and Harold y el Lapiz Color Morado (Harold and the Purple Crayon).
Here’s a peek at our current front window display.
In addition to the books in our display, we added some beautiful tissue paper flowers. You can easily make these at home, either from colored tissue you may have left over from gift wrapping or with these easy flower-making kits that we sell in the Shop. We have a whole variety of kits in different color combinations and to make our flowers, we mixed and matched different kits to make even more varieties of flowers. They’re so cheery and make not only a great activity with kids, but wonderful decorations for any kind of party this summer!
I also made a papel picado-inspired banner for the top of the front window as well.
You can easily make one at home by using tissue paper and scissors. I wanted mine to be a bit more durable since it was going to hang for the duration of the Latino Folk Tales exhibition, so I made this one out of a colorful assortment of cardstock. Instead of sitting for hours with an x-acto knife, I used decorative paper punches in repeated patterns to quickly and easily make the designs. Then I strung it on some bright ribbon like a banner and hung it up.
This Sunday, in celebration of Cinco de Mayo, our Art Studio will be hosting a special and colorful art activity from 1 pm-4 pm. If you can’t make it to The Carle this weekend, why not try making your own festive banner or paper flowers? Here’s a link with other easy papel picado banners for inspiration. Happy Cinco de Mayo!
April 29th through May 5 is National Screen-Free Week, a week for you and your kids to take a break from all the many screens in your daily life – like the computer, phone, and T.V. – in order to enjoy quality time with a book, nature, or with each other. Going to a museum like The Carle is a great way to unplug as a family. You can check out some original art in the galleries, share some books together in the Reading Library, make your own art in our hands-on Art Studio, and of course, run around or picnic in our beautiful apple orchard.
In fact, come to The Carle this Sunday, April 28th and you can help us kick-off Screen-Free Week with a bang! Illustrators Chris Raschka, Tad Hills, Bob Staake, and Dan Yaccarino will be here chatting with Jarrett J. Krosoczka in our auditorium about their books, their art and how they like to unplug. Art activities and a book signing will follow. Special thanks to Random House Children’s Books for bringing these five fabulous picture book creators to The Carle!
Check out their new books below, perfect for reading together on a screen-free day!
Everyone Can learn To Ride a Bicycle by Chris Raschka (Schwartz & Wade, 2013)
Bluebird by Bob Staake (Schwartz & Wade, 2013)
Doug Unplugged by Dan Yaccarino (Knopf Books for Young Readers, 2013)
Duck and Goose: Goose Needs a Hug by Tad Hills (Schwartz & Wade, 2013)
Lunch Lady and the Video Game Villain: Lunch Lady #9 by Jarrett J. Krosoczka (Knopf Books for Young Readers, 2013)
Here are some of our favorite ways to unplug. What are yours? Share your favorite screen-free activities with us in the comments below.
Visit The Carle (of course!) or other screen-free museums
Next week marks the anniversary of the publication of one of our very favorite books, The Very Hungry Caterpillar! We hope you can help us celebrate here at The Carle this weekend. We’re kicking off festivities with a Members’ Pancake Breakfast in the morning, followed by a day of Caterpillar-themed storytimes, films and activities. We hear there will even be an appearance from the Caterpillar himself! Here are all the details:
Annual Pancake Breakfast Celebrating Very Hungry Caterpillar Day
(Members-Only event)
Sunday, March 17, 2013
9:00 am – 12:00 pm
First Seating – 9:00 am Second Seating – 10:15 amETA: Now full!
Free to members, but space is limited. Reserve early at membership@carlemuseum.org.
Celebration of the 2013 Very Hungry Caterpillar Day
Sunday,March 17, 2013
12:00 pm – 5:00 pm
Free with Museum Admission
Celebrate The Caterpillar’s special day with us!
Join us for special story times, films, art activities and a visit from The Very Hungry Caterpillar! Plus Museum Shop sale – 15% off all caterpillar-related books and toys!
12:30 pm – The Very Hungry Caterpillar Film
1:00 pm – Meet the Caterpillar
1:30 pm – Storytime
2:30 pm – Picture Writer: The Art of Picture Books Film
3:00 pm – Meet the Caterpillar
3:30 pm – Storytime
4:00 pm – The Very Hungry Caterpillar Film
There will be fun all-day art activities and all children will receive Butterfly temporary tattoos. Bring your camera!
If you can’t make it to the museum consider participating in our friendly competition by creating your own version of the Very Hungry Caterpillar using found materials and submitting a photo of your creation. Winners will win an original doodle by Eric Carle and more! Check out the details here: http://www.carlemuseum.org/studioblog/?p=2677
Today we’re also giving away a very soft and plushy Caterpillar to one lucky blog reader. To win, leave a comment below BEFORE 12 pm EST Saturday, March 16th. Tell us, If you were to invite The Very Hungry Caterpillar over for a birthday dinner celebration, what would you prepare for him? Good luck and we’re announcing the winner on Sunday, March 17th.
We’re hosting the ultimate picture book jam fest here at The Carle this Saturday, March 9th. Author/Illustrators Jarrett J. Krosoczka and Jef Czekaj will be here for a performance that combines punk music, drawing and rapping into one epic book reading. The authors will sign copies of their books outside the Shop after, as well as encourage budding artists to try their own drawing in the Art Studio. The event is free with Museum admission and starts at 1:00 pm. See you then! Rock on!
Jef Czekaj is a cartoonist, author, illustrator and musician. His books include Hip and Hop, Don’t Stop!, Cat Secrets, The Circulatory Story and Yes, Yes, Yaul!
Jarrett J. Krosoczka has authored and illustrated eighteen books including Good Night, Monkey Boy, the Punk Farm series and the Lunch Lady series.
With all of this snow we’ve gotten on the East Coast recently, I bet many of you readers have some new sledding stories to tell. Join us for a Special Storytime with Rebecca Rule and Jennifer Thermes this February vacation week for a thrilling sledding tale. Here are the event details:
The Iciest, Diciest, Scariest Sled Ride Ever! (Islandport Press, 2012)
February 22, 2013 at 2:30 pm, free with Museum Admission
Thrill to the tale of a great sledding adventure as author Rebecca Rule reads from her latest book, The Iciest, Diciest, Scariest Sled Ride Ever! Rebecca will be joined by artist Jennifer Thermes who will share sketches and art from the book, and demonstrate how an illustrator creates pictures to tell a story. Q and A and book signing to follow.
Rebecca Rule is the author of Live Free and Eat Pie! and Headin’ for the Rhubarb: A New Hampshire Dictionary (well, kinda). She is also the author of three short story collections about New Hampshire, including Teh Best Revenge, named Outstanding Work of Fiction by the New Hampshire Writer’s Project. Rule is best known for her live storytelling events, many sponsored by the New Hampshire Humanities Council. She chronicles many of these events, and her encounters with people and language, in her blog. “Travels with Becky,” which can be found at www.livefreeandeatpie.com. A graduate of the University of New Hampshire, she taught writing classes there for a number of years. She has lived in New Hampshire all her life (so far). She lives in Northwood with her husband, John Rule, their wire fox terrier, Bob and various other dogs, cats and birds. www.rebeccarulenh.com/books
Jennifer Thermes is a children’s book author and illustrator whose books include Maggie & Oliver, or A Bone of One’s Own (written by Valerie Hobbs), Sam Bennett’s New Shoes and When I Was Built. In addition to being an avid reader, an obsessed gardener, and an adorer of cats, Thermes also creates illustrated maps for publishing and magazine clients. She lives in an old farmhouse in Newtown, Connecticut, with her family, two cats, one dog and countless mice. www.jenniferthermes.com
A good fairy tale re-telling never goes out of style. Talented author and artists always seem to keep coming up with fresh ways to make a classic bedtime tale take on a whole new life. This week we’ll host the Pioneer Valley Performing Arts Charter Public School’s adaptation of Goldilocks and The Three Bears in our auditorium. We browsed our fairy tale section here in the Shop and found that we had quite the selection of Goldilocks picture books, ranging from classic, beloved editions to quirky and funny twists on the tale, each with their own distinctive illustrations. Here are a few of our favorites:
Goldilocks and the Three Dinosaurs by Mo Willems (Balzer + Bray, 2012)
Goldilocks by Ruth Sanderson (Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, 2009)
The Goldilocks Variations by Allan Ahlberg, illustrated by Jessica Ahlberg (Candlewick Press, 2009)
Goldilocks and the Three Bears by James Marshall (Penguin, 1998)
Goldilocks and the Three Bears by Jim Aylesworth, illustrated by Barbara McClintock (Scholastic Press, 2003)
Goldilocks and Just One Bear by Leigh Hodgkinson (Nosy Crow/Candlewick Press, 2012)
We’d love to have you come visit the museum and see the show this week. Maybe your kids are on school vacation and need a fun activity? Here’s your chance to win four tickets to the Goldilocks performance and a Family Pass (good for two adults and up to four children) to The Carle.
How to enter:
Use your creativity to adapt the Goldilocks fairytale by posting the title of your adaptation in a comment below: Goldilocks and the ____________. (Example: Goldilocks and the Three Elephants or Goldilocks and the Case of the Three Empty Bowls). Use your imagination! What kind of Goldilocks story would YOU like to read? Leave your comment BEFORE midnight EST Sunday, February 17, 2013. One winner will be chosen at random and announced on Monday, February 18th.
We hope that the winner will be able to come and enjoy the show during one of their many performances next week, but even if you live far away, you can still enter to win for a free pass to visit The Carle sometime within the year. Here are the details about the performance. Goldilocks & the Three Bears: An Epic
February 19 – February 22, 2013
11:00 am and 1:00 pm and 3:00 pm
$6 (Members $5)
So you think you know this tale? Think again! In this epic adaptation written by Jack Neary, there’s a lot more in store for Goldy, our little blond curiosity seeker, than three bears, some chairs, and bowls of breakfast food. Some annoying neighborhood kids, a pack of crazy Wolfettes, a fourth bear named Uncle Chester who may not be a bear at all, Little Red Riding Hood and even Rapunzel join forces to create an adventure for the ages! Poor Goldy! All she wanted was to take a nice little walk in the forest. Goldilocks & The Three Bears: An Epic is a show for the whole family to enjoy!
Tickets may be purchased in advance at the Museum Admissions Desk or by calling (413) 658-1126.
Comments now closed. Congratulations to the winner, Amanda! We’ll be in touch. Thanks everyone for playing. Such fun Goldilocks variations ideas!
We’re so happy to welcome back Marc Tyler Nobleman to The Carle this Saturday, February 16th to talk about his newest book, Bill, The Boy Wonder: The Secret Co-Creator of Batman. Fans of the comic as well as teachers looking for ideas on how to use nonfiction in the classroom will especially love this presentation. Here are the details:
Behind the Scenes with Batman: Having Fun with the Common Core February 16, 2013 1:00 pm Free with Museum Admission
(1 PDP) Join author Marc Tyler Nobleman as he reveals the lengths he went to in order to get the truth behind the creation of one of the most successful fictional characters of all time. Bill the Boy Wonder: The Secret Co-Creator of Batman tells the story (at once inspirational and heartbreaking) of Bill Finger, never-credited co-creator of the Dark Knight. Learn startling never-published facts about an unsung pioneer—including one that may just change pop culture history. Book Signing to Follow.
In anticipation of Saturday’s event, Marc Tyler Nobleman has created some Batman trivia questions for our readers to test their ultimate comic book knowledge. Take a stab at the questions and post your answers in a comment below. and then we will come back to you with answers on Saturday. KAPOW!
1. Who was the first costumed villain Batman faced in the comics?
a) the Penguin b) the Monk c) the Flame d) the Goofball
2. What color were Batman’s gloves in his debut appearance?
a) blue b) black c) purple d) neon lime green
3. Bill Finger, uncredited co-creator of Batman, also co-created which other A-list superhero?
a) Green Lantern b) Green Arrow c) Green Hornet d) Neon Lime Green Man
4. Bill Finger also wrote movie scripts, including one called
a) The GreenSlime b) The Brown Ooze c) The Gray Muck d) The Wizard of Oz
5. What two superhero guest stars appeared in the last published Batman story written by Bill Finger?
a) Aquaman and Wonder Woman b) The Atom and Elongated Man c) The Flash and Firestorm d) Underdog and Mr. Incredible
Marc Tyler Nobleman is an author of more than 70 books for children and one for adults. His picture book including “Boys of Steel: The Creators of Superman,” which received multiple starred reviews, appeared on several “best of the year” lists, and made the front page of USA Today and “Bill the Boy Wonder: The Secret Co-Creator of Batman,” which was featured on NPR’s “All Things Considered” and made best-of-the-year lists at “USA Today,” MTV, and “Washington Post.” He has written extensively for Nickelodeon; his other credits include DC Comics, PBS, History Channel, and National Geographic Kids. He is also a cartoonist whose work has appeared in more than 100 magazines, including The Wall Street Journal, Forbes, and Good Housekeeping. You can visit his blog at http://noblemania.blogspot.com/ for behind-the-scenes tales of book research, promotion, and more.
We are so excited to welcome Mac Barnett and Jon Klassen, the author and illustrator team behind this year’s Caldecott Honor-winning book, Extra Yarn, to The Carle this coming weekend. On Sunday, February 10th, these two creators of many bestselling picture books will talk about their process and collaboration and give us a little behind-the-scenes peek at this award-wining book. A book signing will follow. Click here for the details.
We encourage those who cannot attend to pre-order autographed copies online now and we will get them signed and ship them after the event.
It’s no secret that we’re big fans of Extra Yarn here at The Carle. When the book first released early last year, inspired by Annabelle’s penchant for knitting sweaters for just about everyone and anything, we thought we could find a few things around the museum that needed sweaters too. In honor of Mac and Jon’s Extra Yarn bookstore contest, we decided to knit (and crochet) a scarf for our Red Elephant sculpture in our courtyard and sweater for the Very Hungry Caterpillar in our bookstore.
You can read more about this fun Extra Yarn contest here and here.
In celebration of Mac and Jon’s visit, we are giving away a hardcover copy of Extra Yarn, autographed by both author and illustrator, to one lucky blog reader.
How to enter:
In Extra Yarn, Annabelle discovers a magic box of never-ending yarn. If you found a magic box, what would be inside and what would you do with it?
Tell us in comment below BEFORE 12 pm EST, Friday February 8, 2013 for a chance to win. One winner will be chosen at random. Good luck!
Mac Barnett was born to non-farmers in a California farming community and currently lives in Oakland, California. He is the author of the Brixton Brother series and several picture books, including Guess Again! and Chloe and the Lion (both illustrated by Adam Rex), and the Caldecott Honor and New York Times bestseller Extra Yarn. He’s on the board of directors of 826LA, a nonprofit writing center, and founded the Echo Park Time Travel Mart, a convenience store for time travelers.
Jon Klassen grew up in Niagara Falls, Canada, and now lives in Los Angeles, California. He is the author and illustrator of the 2013 Caldecott Medal book This is Not My Hat, 2013 Caldecott Honor book Extra Yarn, 2012 Geisel Honor book I Want My Hat Back, as well as the illustrator of Cats’ Night Out by Caroline Stutson, and The Incorrigible Children of Ashton Place series. He also created concept art for Coraline, the stop-motion animated film based on the book by Neil Gaiman.
It’s time for our last holiday giveaway! In celebration of The Carle’s 10th Anniversary, three wonderful artists have given us original doodles to share with our friends. Two lucky readers have already won doodles by Peter Laird and Tony DiTerlizzi. This week we’re offering the opportunity to win a doodle by Eric Carle. The doodle is an original sketch, autographed on 9″ x 6″ heavy cardstock.
We love the Caterpillar! Do you have a favorite character from one of Eric Carle’s books?
Last month at our 10th Anniversary celebration, Eric Carle and his wife Barbara spoke to guests and friends about the journey of creating The Carle Museum and reflecting on 10 amazing years. They thank all the friends and supporters that have made this museum possible and the experience of visiting The Carle special. It’s worth a watch if you haven’t seen it yet.
We had such a wonderful anniversary weekend last month and look forward to all the years full of fantastic events, exhibits and friends. Thank you again to Eric Carle, Peter Laird and Tony DiTerlizzi for all their support and for the hours they each spent doodling for fans. We are so grateful for the opportunity to give our blog readers the chance to win one of their pieces of art!
Want to win this autographed Caterpillar doodle? Here’s how:
– Leave a comment below and let us know your favorite Eric Carle book or character.
Please note: Comments are individually approved to filter out spam, so there may be a delay in your comment appearing below.
Entries must be received before 12:00 pm Eastern time on Wednesday, January 3rd. We’ll pick a winner at random and announce it on Thursday, January 4th. Good luck and Happy Holidays!
Friday, June 21st
Saturday, June 22nd
Today we’re also giving away a very soft and plushy Caterpillar to one lucky blog reader. To win, leave a comment below BEFORE 12 pm EST Saturday, March 16th. Tell us, If you were to invite The Very Hungry Caterpillar over for a birthday dinner celebration, what would you prepare for him? Good luck and we’re announcing the winner on Sunday, March 17th.
