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!
Congratulations to Matteo Bologna, the winner of the Piggie Portrait Gallery Contest! He got all 16 answers correct and wins this great poster, signed and personalized by Mo Willems. Well done, Matteo!
Ready to see the answers?
1. Alexander Calder
2. Charles Schulz
3. Henri Matisse
4. Robert Motherwell
5. René Magritte
6. Andy Warhol
7. Joan Miró
8. Pablo Picasso
9. Andy Warhol (again!)
10. Mark Rothko
11. Amedeo Modigliani
12. African Masks
13. Vincent Van Gogh
14. Frank Stella
15. Piet Mondrian
16. Henry Moore
How did you do? It seemed a number of you were stumped by #4 (a lot of guesses for Franz Kline) and #14 (popular guesses were Wassily Kandinsky and Josef Alpers). Of 70 entries, Matteo was the only one to get all 16 answers correct. 26 of you were sooo close though, with only one wrong answer!
To learn more about why Mo Willems chose each of these artists head over to his blog and get the inside scoop. Thanks to all the entrants in the contest. We have quite the art-savvy crowd!
Even if you didn’t win, you can still take home an autographed poster. They are for sale in our shop and online here, both signed and unsigned by Mo Willems. And for fans of Mo Willems, save the date of June 22nd, 2013. That’s when our exhibition of Mo Willems artwork: Seriously Silly: A Decade of Art & Whimsy by Mo Willems open to the public. You won’t want to miss it!
Wanna win this cool poster, personalized to you by Mo Willems? Well, read on!
Back in 2009, as a great treat to The Carle, Mo Willems created this wonderful poster to commemorate our annual gala in New York. (You can read more about The Carle Honors here.) We sell the posters in the shop and people are always asking, “Which artists inspired Elephant Gerard’s portraits?” Well, we know the answer. Do you?
In his poster Mo Willems pays homage to twentieth-century artists who have influenced his work, or whose work speaks to him, or are simply easy to spoof. Rather than just rattle off the names of these artists for you, Mo and I thought it would be fun to to test our art-savvy blog readers instead: Can you identify all the artists correctly? We think you can!
One lucky reader who identifies the greatest number of artists correctly will win a Carle Honors 2009 poster autographed and personalized by Mo Willems!
Here’s how to enter:
Look closely at all 16 pieces of art in the image below (click to enlarge) and use the numbered guide to tell us the name of the artist who inspired each numbered piece. (See hints below!)
Identify all 16 portraits in a comment below before 12 pm EST Friday, January 11th. We will be keeping comments hidden until a winner is announced to keep guesses confidential.
If more than one entrant gets all sixteen answers correct, one winner will be selected at random from among the correct answers.
Need a hint? Hint 1: One of the artists is featured more than once. Hint 2: One of the pieces represents a genre, rather than a specific artist. (Okay, we’re feeling nice. We’ll just give it to you: #12 is “African Mask.”) Hint 3. All art is from the 20th century.
Saturday, July 21, 2012
10:30 am – 11:30 am, Auditorium
Free with Museum Admission
Join us this Saturday for a premier screening of new Mo Willems films: Knuffle Bunny Free: An Unexpected Diversion and Edwina, The Dinosaur Who Didn’t Know She Was Extinct.
Mo Willems will be here to answer questions after the screening and sign books. Please note that seating is limited in Auditorium. Check out Mo’s blog to read more about this event.
Can’t make it to The Carle? Fear not! Pre-order autographed copies before Saturday, July 21, 2012 and we’ll ship them to you after the event. Click here to shop for Mo Willems’ books and toys.
Please note: Mo Willems will not autograph board books or toys.If you’re coming to The Carle for the event, please only one book from home (you can buy as many as you like from our Shop) to have signed. Hope to see you Saturday!
Happy New Year! Hooray! We had a totally fabulous year here at The Carle. Let me share with you a few of our favorite highlights from 2011:
Eric Carle Visit and Book Signing
Eric Carle came to visit not once, but TWICE, this year. Once for his annual summer book signing and then again in September to launch the release of his newest picture book, The Artist Who Painted a Blue Horse.
Eric Carle signs his new book. Photo by Kristin Angel
Eric Carle admires the artwork of a young fan. Photo by Kristin Angel
New Sculptures
The Carle’s galleries are no longer the only place to see artwork in the Museum. This year we installed two amazing sculptures by renowned artists Leo Lionni and Mo Willems. Eric Carle and Leo Lionni’s family were on hand for the unveiling of Leo Lionni’s sculpture titled, “Imaginary Garden” in July, which is now on view for the public in our Great Hall.
Photo by Jerrey Roberts
Leo Lionni's "Imaginary Garden"
Mo Willem’s bright Red Elephant sculpture is a cheery new addition to our museum’s courtyard. Here’s a link to Mo Willem’s blog where he documents the full journey of the elephant sculpture from idea to installation.
Mo Willems' Red Elephant sculpture at The Carle. Photo by Kristin Angel
Mo Willems signs books for fans. Photo by Kristin Angel
Exhibitions
We hosted a year full of fabulous exhibitions. I hope you had the chance to come see them. Each event brought a chance to meet the talented creators behind the artwork. Here’s a small sampling of the authors and illustrators who joined us at The Carle this year for these exhibits.
Monsters & Miracles: A Journey through Jewish Picture Books:
(l-r) Neal Sokol, Alix Kennedy, Uri Shulevitz, Nonny Hogrogian, Nick Clark, Lisa Brown and Ilan Stavans. Photo by Kristin Angel
Partners in Wonder: Selections from the Collection of Jane Yolen
Jane Yolen signs Owl Moon. Photo by Kristin Angel
What a Circus! The Art of Etienne Delessert
Etienne Delessert and David Macaulay. Photo by Kristin Angel
Tomi Ungerer: Chronicler of the Absurd
Eric Carle and Tomi Ungerer. Photo by Kristin Angel
Barbara McClintock’s The Heartaches of a French Cat
Barbara McClintock and David Johnson. Photo by Kristin Angel
Growing Every Which Way But Up: The Children’s Book Art of Jules Feiffer
Leonard Marcus, Jules Feiffer and Kate Feiffer. Photo by Kristin Angel
Carle Honors
This year was the 6th annual Carle Honors ceremony in New York City. This year The Carle honored Lois Ehlert (Artist), Jeanne Steig (Angel), Michael di Capua (Mentor) and Karen Nelson Hoyle (Bridge). To learn more about the recipients and about the awards, you can read my blog post from earlier this year here.
Artist award recipient Lois Ehlert
Photo by Johnny Wolf Photography
Angel award recipient Jeanne Steig
Photo by Johnny Wolf Photography
Mentor award recipient Michael di Capua
Photo by Johnny Wolf Photography
Bridge award recipient Karen Nelson Hoyle
Photo by Johnny Wolf Photography
Check out these wonderful decorations from the night to celebrate Artist award recipient Lois Ehlert.
Photo by Johnny Wolf Photography
Guests were greeted by the coconut tree and letters from the well-loved Chicka Chicka Boom Boom picture book and tables featured these absolutely stunning centerpieces. Each centerpiece base is an actual book with beautiful and bright tissue paper flowers bursting from the pages.
Photo by Sandy Soderberg. Sculptures by Marlena Pavich.
Special Events
Other wonderful events hosted here this past year was a viewing of the children’s literature documentary, The Library of the Early Mind, in our auditorium, with a panel of guests featured in the film including Richard Michelson, Grace Lin and Jane Yolen as well as the director Edward J. Delaney and co-producer, Steven Withrow. Here’s a trailer for the documentary:
And here’s a glimpse at the panel discussion that followed that night at The Carle:
David White, Diane deGroat, Bob Marstall, John Gurney, Greg Ruth, Tomie dePaola, Astrid Sheckels, Ruth Sanderson and Linda Graves. Photo by Kristin Angel
The Very Hungry Caterpillar had a birthday party and made some new friends:
Very Hungry Caterpillar greets fans. Photo by Kristin Angel
We had special storytimes in our Reading Library such as Nancy Ekholm Burkert and her son Rand Burkert’s storytime and blues performance of their new book, Mouse & Lion.
Nancy Ekholm Burkert
And Frank Viva led a storytime of his New York Times Best Illustrated book, Along a Long Road, and then led his audience into The Carle auditorium to see the artwork from the entire book in one long frieze along the length of the auditorium.
Frank Viva. Photo by Kristin Angel
Our annual Educator night was hosted by Lisa Holton, Anita Silvey and Betsy Bird who sparked a wonderfully uplifting discussion about the future of books and technology.
Lisa Holton and Anita Silvey at Educator Night.
Betsy Bird at Educator Night
In 2011, we hosted the first in a series of BERL (Barbara Elleman Research Library) Lectures here at The Carle. This year’s lecture was given by publisher, editor, educator and author-extraordinaire Patricia Lee Gauch.
This year we also launched the Shop’s BookTalk interview series. Each month bookseller Andy interviewed an author or illustrator about their books and career, followed by a book signing. In the past year we interviewed Mordicai Gerstein, Norton Juster, Mo Willems, Diane deGroat, Jarrett Krosoczka, Barry Moser, Jeff Mack, Ted & Betsy Lewin, Sophie Blackall, Brian Floca, John Bemelmans Marciano, John Rocco, Sergio Ruzzier, Beth Krommes and Barney Saltzberg. We are excited to be continuing the interview series into the new year and will be making recordings of the interviews available on our website for our faraway friends.
Mo Willems and Norton Juster
This year also marked the 50th anniversary of a beloved classic, The Phantom Tollbooth. We celebrated this November with a pun-filled Phantom Tollbooth Day with Norton Juster and Leonard Marcus, author of The Annotated Phantom Tollbooth, and guests viewed original Jules Feiffer artwork from the book in our gallery. No Phantom Tollbooth day can be complete without a tollbooth and Toc the dog!
Phantom Tollbooth Day
Phantom Tollbooth Day (Yes, that's me)
We hopped across the river for R. Michelson Galleries 22nd Annual Children’s Illustration Show where the Carle Bookshop sold books by the featured artists, including special guests Jules Feiffer and Roger Sutton. There was a quite a turn out! Here’s a photo from the night.
Front Row: Paul Jacobs, Rebecca Guay, Diane deGroat, Richard Michelson, Karla Gudeon, Sara Levine, Carol Weis, Angela DiTerlizzi, Heidi Stemple Second Row: Steven Withrow, Lesley Breen Withrow, Jennifer Swender, Jane Yolen, Jane Dyer, Barry Moser, Burleigh Muten, Barbara Diamond Goldin, Lesleá Newman, Kathy Brown, Tony DiTerlizzi. Third Row: Wendell Minor, Jules Feiffer, Raul Colón, David Hyde Costello, Neil Waldman.
Back Row: Jarrett J. Krosoczka, Tom Warburton, Scott Fischer, Mo Willems, , David Milgrim
Lastly, we ended the year with some great presentations about the best books of 2011. First Horn Book editors Roger Sutton and Martha Parravano shared their picks while talking about their book, A Family of Readers. Click here to see what books they loved from this year.
Roger Sutton and Martha Parravano
In December, Susan Bloom was back for her annual Picture Books of Distinction lecture, where she highlighted her picks for the year’s best picture books. Click here for her list. We’re so excited to see what will win the Caldecott and what the new year will bring.
Looking ahead, we have so many exhibitions and events that we’re excited about. We’re especially looking forward to The Carle’s 10th anniversay!
Did you have a favorite moment at The Carle this year? I’d love to hear some of your memories. Happy New Year!
I’m invited to a party! You’re invited to a party! A very Mo Willems party!
Can you tell we’re excited that Mo Willems is coming to The Carle? We’re even more excited to announce that a brand-new piece of Mo Willems artwork is coming to live at The Carle. On October 1st, join us and Mo Willems for the installation of his first life-sized sculpture right in our museum courtyard on. Like our favorite friend, Gerald, the sculpture will be an elephant, but this elephant is going to BIG. I mean 5 feet high, 14 feet long, 7 feet wide, and 1,500-pound BIG. And red. I have a feeling you won’t be able to miss it.
We’re going to be celebrating ALL day Saturday, October 1st. Here’s the schedule:
11:30 am — Sculpture installation outside on the terrace 1:00 pm — Presentation and slide show about the sculpture with Mo Willems and fabricator Sam Ostroff in the Auditorium 2:00 pm — Book signing (yay!) with Mo Willems outside the Shop
For more about the sculpture, here’s a great preview video from ABC news:
Check out Mo’s blog for a glimpse into his process of designing metal sculptures. I love seeing how the design for The Red Elephant has really come along! So get ready to party with us on Saturday! Click here to browse all of our Mo Willems’ books, toys and t-shirts for sale in our Shop. See you Saturday!
Happy Father’s Day! Growing up, my dad was the designated bedtime reader. He patiently tucked us in, squeezed in with us on the bed and read us story after story. I distinctly remember that he would fall asleep first and when I would wake him up to finish the book, he’d insist he wasn’t sleeping, just “resting his eyes.”
My Dad is a man of habit. He likes the same thing for breakfast. He likes to listen to the same song (over and over and over again). He likes to pack the same thing in our school lunch bags (I still can’t eat dried apricots to this day). And he liked to read the same picture books to me at night. Luckily, that was something we both agreed on! A good story is one that can be read again and again.
Dad was a Seuss fan. We had copies of all of his picture books, which are now now so well-loved they’re carefully held together with brown packaging tape. His favorite (or my favorite? It’s hard to tell) was I Had Trouble In Getting to Solla Sollew. He would always read it in the exact same way with the same cadences in his voice as he went through the sing-songy verse. He even had little sound effects he’d always do at certain points, like when the character fell down (ba-wee-boom!). To this day, I can’t read this book without hearing my father’s voice in my head and I’m reminded how a book can really connect a father and daughter, even if it’s just a few pages before “resting your eyes.”
Do you fathers out there have a special book that you read to your children at night? Or do you remember a book that you shared with your dad? For new dads, below is a small list of terrific picture books that highlight those special father-child relationships.
Some fathers will do anything for their children. In this book Eric Carle dedicated to his own daughter, Monica’s papa has promised to get her the moon. Papa goes to great lengths (accentuated by Eric Carle’s delightful fold-out pages) to get the moon for his daughter. Eric Carle plays with size and expectations in this beautifully illustrated book that makes a perfect bedtime book for a father to share with his child.
Mister Seahorse is a very caring father. Unlike many other wild animals, male seahorses carry and care for their eggs, instead of the mother. With Eric Carle’s classic bright colors and fun hide-and-seek transparent pages, readers learn about seahorse and the many undersea wildlife whose fathers play an important role in the upbringing of their babies.
The beloved story of a well-intentioned, but clueless dad who makes good in the end by reuniting a lost stuffed animal with his very distraught daughter.
Every Friday by Dan Yaccarino (Henry Holt & Co, 2007)
A father and son relish the day each week when they get to spend time together, just the two of them. Inspired by the weekly breakfast tradition author Dan Yaccarino shares with his own son.
Owl Moon by Jane Yolen, illustrated by John Schoenherr (Philomel Books, 1087)
The poetic and soothing text of this Caldecott-winning picture book is a tribute to the special, quiet moments shared between a child and father, when out late at night looking for owls.
Share with us some of your favorite father-child books in the comments. Happy Father’s Day!
This Sunday, March 27th at 11:30 am come meet best-selling and award-winning author/illustrator Mo Willems. Our own Andy Laties will be talking with Mo in our auditorium about his beginnings and his books as part of our regular BookTalk series. This event is free for all and does not include museum admission.
Even if you can’t make it, stop by our virtual Mo Shop! We have all things Mo Willems – books, t-shirts, tote bags, plush toys, and games! And be sure to check in with us after the event to see if we have any autographed books.
We had such a great time at The Academy of Music theater last Friday night in Northampton, MA. We were there selling books and other fabulous Mo Willems items for his book signing after the performance of Knuffle Bunny: A Cautionary Musical.
Ever wonder what The Carle Bookshop looks like on the road? Here’s a few pictures of our quick pop-up shop. We managed to fill a whole room with all of Mo’s books, as well as games, stuffed plush toys, and even t-shirts and tote bags inspired by his characters!
And here we are, the fearless booksellers:
(l-r) Lillian, me, and Andy at The Academy of Music in Northampton, MA
The show was a huge hit and we were so glad we got to be there to meet so many of Mo’s fans of all ages. We saw familiar faces of customers from our store at The Carle and met many more that we hope to see again. Mo Willems will be at The Carle on March 27th for our next BookTalk interview, followed by an autographing, so it’s a great chance for those of you who missed the show to get to meet Mo in person and get a book (or two or three!) signed. We’ll have everything from our Mo Store and more for sale in our bookshop as well as making it all available online soon.
Did you know they made a musical out of the bestselling picture book, Knuffle Bunny: A Cautionary Tale, by Mo Willems?
Photo by Carol Pratt
Knuffle Bunny: A Cautionary Musical is a full-length live theater production that made its debut at The Kennedy Center in Washington D.C. and is now touring the country. It stops tonight in neighboring Northampton, MA at The Academy of Music at 7 pm.
The Carle Museum Bookshop will be there with our Mo Shop – selling all of Mo’s books, games and toys, and even t-shirts! We’re also lucky enough to be able to sell the newest not-yet-released edition of Knuffle Bunny, complete with audio CD tonight.
Mo Willems, himself, will be in attendance and, after the performance, will answer questions from the audience and do a book signing. For more information, including how buy tickets to the show, read this wonderful article from The Daily Hampshire Gazette. Hope to see you all there!
