One of the highlights of my job as a Babble editor is getting to read lots of children's books and occasionally meeting my favorite authors. When I wrote about the Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art a year ago, I was hoping to meet the author-illustrator himself -- but he had fled for the winter so we had to talk over email. Luckily, the gods of Very Hungry Caterpillars and Brown Bears were smiling on me last week, because I got a last-minute invite to meet Eric Carle at the Cupcake Cafe. And I brought my baby, who, while he doesn't yet appreciate the rhythmic cadences and thematic significance of The Mixed-Up Chameleon, sure likes to squeal at the pictures. The day in photos, after the jump!
At first, my son didn't know what to make of Eric Carle.
Then he found his hat, and all was well.
Eric was there to promote Kodak's spiffy new line of cards inspired by his work.
He read us Brown Bear Brown Bear What Do You See? (which he clearly had memorized) and The Very Lonely Firefly...
... and talked about how The Very Hungry Caterpillar was inspired by playing with a hole punch, and how the rhythms of Brown Bear Brown Bear came about because the author wrote it on a train.
My son was amused.
Next he talked about The Mixed-Up Chameleon, and the kids in the audience helped him create a mixed-up creature of their own. (This drawing was immediately rolled up and whisked away after the presentation, presumably for posterity.)
Barbara Carle attempted to steal my baby and was absolutely lovely. Look closely at her necklace!
Mmm... cupcakes.
Later that night, signed copy of The Very Lonely Firefly on his bookshelf, the baby crashed while I blogged. The End. -- Gwynne Watkins
