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
"In Mister Seahorse...a salty salute to devoted dads, beloved collage artist Eric Carle draws a warm-hearted story from the ocean's depths." The Washington Post
Review
"The simple, thoughtfully told story includes repetitive phrases and a predictable structure with an emotionally satisfying ending as Mr. Seahorse sends his babies out into the watery world." Kirkus Reviews
Review
"Carle once again successfully introduces his young fans to an interesting aspect of the natural world." School Library Journal
Synopsis
When Mrs. Seahorse lays her eggs, she does it on Mr. Seahorse's belly! She knows he will take good care of them. While he swims waiting for the eggs to hatch, he meets some other underwater fathers caring for their babies: Mr. Tilapia, who carries his babies in his mouth; Mr. Kurtus, who keeps his on his head; and Mr. Catfish, who is baby-sitting his young hatchlings. Eric Carle has done it again, with astonishingly beautiful collage illustrations and a story that introduces the very young to the wonders of aquatic life....and some very special daddies. A "hide and seek" feature with acetate overlays adds a colorful surprise.
Synopsis
Astonishingly beautiful collage illustrations and a story that introduces the wonders of aquatic life . . . and some very special daddies. A "hide and seek" feature with acetate overlays adds a colorful surprise to this Eric Carle classic. When Mrs. Seahorse lays her eggs, she does it on Mr. Seahorse's belly While he swims waiting for the eggs to hatch, he meets some other underwater fathers caring for their babies. Clear "peek-a-boo" pages offer an ocean of fun opportunities for young readers to feel like they're under the sea
Synopsis
When Mrs. Seahorse lays her eggs on Mr. Seahorse's belly, she knows he will take good care of them-especially since he gets advice from other fatherly fish. Featuring colorfully surprising acetate overlays, Eric Carle has created a beautiful book, filled with the wonders of aquatic life.
Synopsis
When Mrs. Seahorse lays her eggs, she does it on Mr. Seahorse's belly! She knows he will take good care of them. While he swims waiting for the eggs to hatch, he meets other underwater fathers caring for their babies. Now Eric Carle's heart-warming
New York Times bestseller is finally available in a board book edition, complete with the clear "peek-a-boo" pages that made the original such a hit. Brimming with bright, colorful sea life, this new board book will be irresistable to young children everywhere.
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
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
When Mrs. Seahorse lays her eggs, she does it on Mr. Seahorse's belly! She knows he will take good care of them. While he swims waiting for the eggs to hatch, he meets other underwater fathers caring for their babies. Now Eric Carle's heart-warming
New York Times bestseller is finally available in a board book edition, complete with the clear "peek-a-boo" pages that made the original such a hit. Brimming with bright, colorful sea life, this new board book will be irresistable to young children everywhere.
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.