Synopses & Reviews
Ducks growing out of bananas? A mouse catching a cat? Whats wrong with this book?
Yes, theres something strange, something funny and even downright preposterous on every page of this book But its not a mistake its nonsense! And its also surrealism. Nonsense lies at the heart of many beloved nursery rhymes. Children readily accept odd statements like the cow
jumped over the moon” and the dish ran away with the spoon.” This fanciful bending of reality is also basic to surrealism.
In this book, nonsense and surrealism combine to spark creativity and imagination. Whats true? Whats impossible? Whats absolutely absurd? From Eric Carle, creator of the classic, The Very Hungry Caterpillar, comes a book to make children laugh and think, preparing them for a
lifetime of loving both words and art.
Following on the heels of The Artist Who Painted a Blue Horse (an homage to the artist Franz Marc and expressionism) and Friends, with its semi-abstract artwork, The Nonsense Show forms a trilogy of sorts, dedicated to introducing young readers to different styles of artwork without ever overlooking the need to, first and foremost, appeal to children and their love of play. One of the true legends and pioneers of picture book making continues to expand and challenge the genre.
Review
andquot;An endearing tale of ambition fulfilled.andquot;
andmdash;Booklist
andquot;Tusaand#39;s illustrations are cheery and absolutely full of life: Readers can almost hear the music Elva does.andquot;
andmdash;Kirkus
andquot;Quiet humor...provides a tender accompaniment to this meditation on fulfilling oneand#39;s dreams.andquot;
andmdash;Publishers Weekly
andquot;This charming book artfully and evocatively explores the joy that comes from following your dreams.andquot;
andmdash;School Library Journal
Review
"Christelow's jaunty, informative books
What Do Authors Do?and#160;and
What Do Illustrators Do? are bound together in one useful volume."
and#8212;The Horn Book Magazine
Synopsis
A brilliant new Eric Carle picture book for the artist in us all.
Every child has an artist inside them, and this vibrant picture book from Eric Carle will help let it out. The artist in this book paints the world as he sees it, just like a child. There's a red crocodile, an orange elephant, a purple fox and a polka-dotted donkey. More than anything, there's imagination. Filled with some of the most magnificently colorful animals of Eric Carle's career, this tribute to the creative life celebrates the power of art.
Synopsis
A brilliant new Eric Carle picture book for the artist in us all
Every child has an artist inside them, and this vibrant picture book from Eric Carle will help let it out. The artist in this book paints the world as he sees it, just like a child. There's a red crocodile, an orange elephant, a purple fox and a polka-dotted donkey. More than anything, there's imagination. Filled with some of the most magnificently colorful animals of Eric Carle's career, this tribute to the creative life celebrates the power of art.
Synopsis
From the creator of
The Very Hungry Caterpillar comes a brilliant new Eric Carle board book for the artist in us all.
Every child has an artist inside them, and this vibrant picture book from Eric Carle will help let it out. The artist in this book paints the world as he sees it, just like a child. There's a red crocodile, an orange elephant, a purple fox and a polka-dotted donkey. More than anything, there's imagination. Filled with some of the most magnificently colorful animals of Eric Carle's career, this new board book edition is a tribute to the creative life and celebrates the power of art. Perfect for fans of La Oruga Muy Hambrienta, or for any emerging readers of Spanish.
Praise for The Artist Who Painted A Blue Horse
* "A testimony to Carle's gifts..." -- Publishers Weekly, starred review
* "Simple and splendid." -- Booklist, starred review
"Another masterpiece from a master artist." -- School Library Journal
Synopsis
From the creator of
The Very Hungry Caterpillar comes a brilliant new Eric Carle board book for the artist in us all.
Every child has an artist inside them, and this vibrant picture book from Eric Carle will help let it out. The artist in this book paints the world as he sees it, just like a child. There's a red crocodile, an orange elephant, a purple fox and a polka-dotted donkey. More than anything, there's imagination. Filled with some of the most magnificently colorful animals of Eric Carle's career, this new board book edition is a tribute to the creative life and celebrates the power of art.
Praise for The Artist Who Painted A Blue Horse
* "A testimony to Carle's gifts..." -- Publishers Weekly, starred review
* "Simple and splendid." -- Booklist, starred review
"Another masterpiece from a master artist." -- School Library Journal
Synopsis
A young girl longs to play the violin in this beautiful, moving new book from Mary Lyn Ray and Tricia Tusa that shows it's never too late to follow your dreams.
Synopsis
A young girl longs to play the violin in this lyrical story that shows itand#8217;s never too late to pursue your dream. More than anything, Elva wants a violinand#8212;but her parents say no. So she pretends. When she should be brushing her teeth, Elva rehearses for recitals. When she should be learning subtraction or going to sleep, she imagines playing all the music in the world. The years pass, but Elva never forgets her childhood wish, and so one day she takes a deep breath and follows her heart . . .
Synopsis
It's time for fun!
The Nonsense Show contains something playful, something silly, something downright preposterous on every spread. The inimitable Eric Carle has dedicated his latest picture book creation to one of his favorite art movements, surrealism. With wordplay and visual jokes galore, young readers will encounter a very different side of Eric Carle than the one they might have first met via
The Very Hungry Caterpillar or
Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? Following on the heels of The Artist Who Painted a Blue Horse (an homage to Franz Marc and expressionism) and Friends, with its semi-abstract artwork, The Nonsense Show forms a trilogy of picture books dedicated to introducing young readers to different styles of artwork without ever overlooking the need to, first and foremost, appeal to children and their love of play. One of the true legends and pioneers of picture book making continues to expand and challenge the genre.
Synopsis
Twoand#160;great graphic stories in one book! What Do Authors Do? shows the steps two authors take to create a popular book about their dog and cat.and#160;Continue the fun withand#160;What Do Illustrators Do? which shows the fun creative process artists use to illustrate the classic tale, "Jack and the Beanstalk."
Synopsis
Childrenand#8217;s books tell stories with words and often with pictures, too. In What Do Authors Do? Christelow shows how an idea blossoms into a final book in colorful watercolors and comic book-style frames. In What Do Illustrators Do?, two artists create their own versions of Jack and the Beanstalk, from rough sketch to finished artwork. Budding youngwriters and artists, rejoice! Both inspiring books are now bound as one and include creative writing and drawing exercises.
About the Author
Eric Carle is acclaimed and beloved as the creator of brilliantly illustrated and innovatively designed picture books for very young children. His best-known work,
The Very Hungry Caterpillar, has eaten its way into the hearts of literally millions of children all over the world and has been translated into more than 25 languages and sold over twelve million copies. Since the
Caterpillar was published in 1969, Eric Carle has illustrated more than sixty books, many best sellers, most of which he also wrote.
Born in Syracuse, New York, in 1929, Eric Carle moved with his parents to Germany when he was six years old; he was educated there, and graduated from the prestigious art school, the Akademie der bildenden Kunste, in Stuttgart. But his dream was always to return to America, the land of his happiest childhood memories. So, in 1952, with a fine portfolio in hand and forty dollars in his pocket, he arrived in New York. Soon he found a job as a graphic designer in the promotion department of The New York Times. Later, he was the art director of an advertising agency for many years.
One day, respected educator and author, Bill Martin Jr, called to ask Carle to illustrate a story he had written. Martin's eye had been caught by a striking picture of a red lobster that Carle had created for an advertisement. Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? was the result of their collaboration. It is still a favorite with children everywhere. This was the beginning of Eric Carle's true career. Soon Carle was writing his own stories, too. His first wholly original book was 1,2,3 to the Zoo, followed soon afterward by the celebrated classic, The Very Hungry Caterpillar.
Eric Carle's art is distinctive and instantly recognizable. His art work is created in collage technique, using hand-painted papers, which he cuts and layers to form bright and cheerful images. Many of his books have an added dimension - die-cut pages, twinkling lights as in The Very Lonely Firefly, even the lifelike sound of a cricket's song as in The Very Quiet Cricket - giving them a playful quality: a toy that can be read, a book that can be touched. Children also enjoy working in collage and many send him pictures they have made themselves, inspired by his illustrations. He receives hundreds of letters each week from his young admirers. The secret of Eric Carle's books' appeal lies in his intuitive understanding of and respect for children, who sense in him instinctively someone who shares their most cherished thoughts and emotions.
The themes of his stories are usually drawn from his extensive knowledge and love of nature - an interest shared by most small children. Besides being beautiful and entertaining, his books always offer the child the opportunity to learn something about the world around them. It is his concern for children, for their feelings and their inquisitiveness, for their creativity and their intellectual growth that, in addition to his beautiful artwork, makes the reading of his books such a stimulating and lasting experience.
Carle says: "With many of my books I attempt to bridge the gap between the home and school. To me home represents, or should represent; warmth, security, toys, holding hands, being held. School is a strange and new place for a child. Will it be a happy place? There are new people, a teacher, classmates - will they be friendly? I believe the passage from home to school is the second biggest trauma of childhood; the first is, of course, being born. Indeed, in both cases we leave a place of warmth and protection for one that is unknown. The unknown often brings fear with it. In my books I try to counteract this fear, to replace it with a positive message. I believe that children are naturally creative and eager to learn. I want to show them that learning is really both fascinating and fun."
Eric Carle has two grown-up children, a son and a daughter. With his wife Barbara, he lives in Northampton, Massachusetts. The Carles spend their summers in the nearby Berkshire hills.