Posts Tagged ‘postcards’

Great Idea: Eric Carle Postcards

Wednesday, August 24th, 2011

Our customers always come up with the best ideas for the dozens of different Eric Carle postcards we sell. I’ve heard of people framing them to put on a child’s wall or even buying matching pairs of postcards and laminating them to create a durable memory game. My new favorite use of postcards is simple and charming: Use them to welcome students back to school!

Front of postcard

Back of postcard

An elementary school teacher bought a whole set of our postcards, printed messages on each one and then sent them to her new first grade class. The postcard introduced her as their new teacher, gave them an idea of what they will be learning in first grade this year, and enthused excitement about meeting in a few weeks. I thought it was such a wonderful way to help put at ease children who are nervous about going to school and to break the ice with a well-loved character, like The Very Hungry Caterpillar. These students are very lucky to have a teacher like this, indeed. What a great idea!

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What a July!

Wednesday, August 3rd, 2011

I can’t believe July is already over! What a whirlwind of a month! Now we’re right in the middle of our summer season here at The Carle, looking back at what exciting events we’ve had already.

Earlier this month we unveiled a one-of-a-kind Leo Lionni sculpture in our Great Hall called The Imaginary Garden, during a very special night hosted by Eric Carle and Leo Lionni’s family. You can now come by at any time to admire this amazing piece of art. Here’s a link to an article from The Hampshire Gazette about the sculpture unveiling.

In celebration of this new Lionni sculpture, we’ve launched a new set of postcards in the Shop. You can now find seven images from some of our favorite Lionni picture books. I think this Tillie and the Wall postcard is my favorite, but it’s so hard to choose!

Our biggest event of the month was, of course, Meet Eric Carle day! We had over 400 fans come through our doors to meet Eric Carle and get their books signed!

That day we also released a new version of the favorite resource video, Eric Carle: Picture Writer. This updated version, The Art of the Picture Book, is now for sale in our Shop. It’s a lovely 30 minute video that gives viewers the chance to really get to know Eric Carle, his life, his books and his art.

We added a number of new Eric Carle toys to our Shop this month as well, including the adorable plush Caterpillar Rocker Toy. This is flying out of our shop so fast! It’s no surprise, either. Look how cute it is!

  

Other July favorites are this wooden Caterpillar puzzle, Blue Horse crib toy, and a new line of coloring and art activity books.

Our Tomi Ungerer exhibit has been pulling in visitors from across the country this month. Here’s a link to the article that appeared in the New York Times about the show, and be sure to check out this lovely photo slideshow. I love hearing customers exclaim “I remember this!” when they pick up a copy of one of Ungerer’s books for the first time in over thirty years. Such a wonderful moment.

In addition to Eric Carle, this month we’ve hosted some wonderful author and illustrator events. Barry Moser gave a wonderful ShopTalk interview in our Auditorium, Holly Hobbie drew a big crowd for her special storytime in the Reading Library and Jeff Mack, David Hyde Costello and Melanie Hope Greenberg each taught their own illustration course in our Art Studio.

Looking forward, we’re sure to have another bustling summer month this August. We’ve scheduled not one, but TWO Shop Talk interviews. Join us this Sunday, August 7th at 11:30 am for an interview with local artist and author Jeff Mack and then Sunday, August 14th at 11:30 for an interview with husband and wife book illustrators Ted and Betsy Lewin. I can’t wait! Be sure to check our website and Facebook pages for more upcoming events.

   

Hope to see you all in August!

 

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Posted in Authors, Carle Museum Events, Illustrators | 1 Comment »

Summer Camp Round-Up

Saturday, July 17th, 2010

Summer is here and camps are in full swing!

A customer recently ordered a stack of Eric Carle postcards to have shipped to her son at summer camp.  I thought that was a super cute idea because not only does it feel really exciting to be one of those kids who gets mail at camp, but now Mom will look forward to receiving little colorful notes from her son the whole time he’s away.

That got me thinking how special it really is to get mail or care packages from home when you’re away (sometimes for the first time) from Mom & Dad.  Even though camp keeps you busy with friends, sports and activities, I remember there was still always that down time in the bunk that got you thinking about home.  Having a stack of postcards handy is a great way to let friends from school or relatives know what a great time you’re having at camp.

If you’re putting a care package together, don’t forget those homebaked cookies (if you can sneak ‘em in) and maybe some temporary tattoos or stickers to share with bunkmates. And even if your child’s just going to day camp, a little spiral-bound journal or sketchbook is perfect for drawing, pressing flowers, or passing around between camp friends to create a scrapbook.  Colored pencils (our metallic ones are a big hit) make a nice addition to a care package.

Looking for picture books about camp?  My favorite book to recommend is Marla Frazee’s A Couple of Boys Have the Best Week Ever.  While the text often says one thing, Marla’s hilarious cartoon-esque illustrations tell the story like it really is.  Either way, these two boys have the BEST week ever, even if nature camp is a little boring.

Is your child worried about sleepaway camp? Local author, Diane deGroat tackles these fears in Good Night, Sleep Tight, Don’t Let the Bedbugs Bite! And, even though it’s not about camp, Bernard  Waber’s Ira Sleeps Over is great read-aloud for anyone nervous about that first sleepover.

Not sending your kid to camp but want to get in that summertime camping spirit?  S is for S’mores is an alphabet book by Helen Foster James and illustrated by Lita Judge (who we were lucky enough to have visit us at The Carle this March).  It covers everything from hiking canoeing to campfire songs and, of course, yummy gooey s’mores.

Rebecca Emberley (daughter of the fabulous Ed Emberley) has a great activity book called Adventure Girls that I would have LOVED when I was a girl.  It’s a handy guide to building treehouses, making tincan lanterns and maps and tons more activities for a bold and crafty adventurista.

And while it might be too dark to read books around the campfire, don’t forget lots of books for your summer car ride – wherever your summer may take you.

Do you have a favorite book about summer camp or camping? Let us know in the comments below!

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Posted in Art Supplies, Book Round-Up, Books Ages 3-6, Recommended Books | No Comments »