Eric Carle Birthday Party: RoundUP of Children's Art

Happy Birthday, Eric Carle!

Welcome to my happy rainbow of delight, color, children's art, excellence-in-education and early literacy. I'm a newish children's picture book author-illustrator. I marvel at the Master. I travel the country making "Author-Illustrator school visits." While I'm on-site, I take as many photos as time will allow ~~ to share with you here. 

Let's start at the very beginning. What is an illustrator? In my own visits, that's one of the concepts that we attempt to sort out: the difference between author and illustrator. Trust me. That's pretty high-faluttin' in PreK and kindergarten. 

This little corner in an Indianapolis Kinder-room made my heart sing! What a delightful way to connect-the-dots. What I LUV about Carle's work is that it is 
'so approachable' for children. His work has a childlike flair and simplicity. 
That is why we treasure him. 

Today we gather to celebrate a legend-in-our-midst. Eric Carle has a birthday coming up on June 25th. I've been saving these images for the party! Are you ready to look over my shoulder? I can only take credit for capturing the photo-images of this amazing work and hope that it serves as inspiration for your own extensions of the Carle classics. 

Let's get our party started with THE cornerstone character:  
the crawling caterpillar. 

These first several images are CLEVER ways that this ubiquitous character has crawled out of the book and into young hearts. These first caterpillars are actually crawling across classrooms and become a part of the decor and backdrop for early learning. The three dimensionality and size is what lights up the bulletin board in this case. Thanks to Heidi up in Hudson, OH for this beauty! (She was my hostess just last week, so I have that chronicled easily in my memory card.)  

Let's continue in the three dimensionality back-drop mentality. Look at this next caterpillar in mid-air flight. Suspended animation. This character is part of an earlier Florida 'classroom-crashing' article here and is well worth your time to take a look around the rest of her room for inspiration. {Notice the black & white polka dot valances. You know I LUV'd everything about this decor!}



This next fellow is a hybrid of the over-sized tissue-paper poms for body segments and the suspended-from-the- ceiling concept. I saw this next one during my Valentine's Day visit to a site serving young children with special needs. I shared this delightful young teacher's amazing "Elmer" canvas backdrop in an earlier article. (Don't get confused, that would be mixing illustrators I realize.)

Step back just a few steps so you can get the relative size of how much of the corner this creature actually takes up! LUV me some DIY mentality! 

Now let's take the three dimensional aspect of the caterpillar and apply it to a project that the children themselves can create. These images are closeups from the bulletin board for "The Very Hungry Caterpillar" featured in the photo just beyond. 



This bulletin board gets my two thumbs up award because it has the total metamorphosis displayed. The finished butterfly painting is obviously a class collaboration. Two thumbs up indeed! 

This next bulletin board is currently on the display at the Bexley, OH JCC (Jewish Community Center.) There are so many things to 'like' about this gorgeous wonder! This is the perfect way to celebrate Carle's birthday -- by immersing young children into PROCESS art. Can I give it the three thumbs up? Is there such a thing?

Each oversized segment of the caterpillar is a delightful piece of media energy, enthusiasm and exploration. Open-ended and fun for young fingers and orchestrated and managed by the insightful teaching staff from conception to finished display.

Look closely and you see that there are coffee filter butterflies hanging all about the perimeter of the bulletin board. Complete metamorphosis -- all on one display.

Here's one part of a hand-painted mural in a Wisconsin school library.

Did I just say, 'hand-painted"? 
This caterpillar has been reproduced in all sorts of hand-painted variations. 
These characters were on the drying racks in Tennessee during my visit. 
All they need are some awesome eyes to come to life! 
Cutie-patootie award.

These next finished pieces are under glass.  
What an incredible mother's day gift of love. 
In this case, the projects were directed by 'grandma' to give to her own daughter as a surprise. 
Follow this idea to add razzle-dazzle to your next Mother's Day observation. 

Note-to-self. 
Transport this idea to my Mother's Day RoundUP 
that was such a hit last month! 
BTW: Here's my Father's Day RoundUP! 
I digress.

Next up is a Texas beauty collaboratively creeping across the bulletin board. 
Wouldn't that make a spectacular 'auction' idea? 
Or a treasured keepsake for a retiring teacher? 
How about using this concept as a thank you for volunteers? 
Easier to do if you only have eight students. 
How cute would it be if you had twice that number? Three times? 
Send me a picture! 

These next images have graced my pages here earlier. 
In an effort to simplify your life, I transported them from this earlier article. 
So you have arrived at the EXPANDED Encyclopedia RoundUP! 
ENJOY! 

Michigan Hungry Caterpillars Creep and Crawl

Look at this dazzlingly glorious and ENORMOUS school hallway mural! 

LOVE these Hoosier Butterflies created in the art room. 

Love everything about symmetry projects! 

ERIC CARLE'S ADDITIONAL CLASSICS

Did you pour a cuppa-cuppa? 
We're just getting started. 
I tell you this a PARTY for a MASTER! 

Let's leave the creeping, crawling, caterpillar for Carle's 'newer' books. 
I will continue to cull through my camera memory-cards to find additional selections to add. 
Birthday Cupcakes for Carle, indeed. 

These glories were in the hallways all throughout Evamere Elementary in Hudson. 
My time in their midst was cut short by the need to attend a family funeral, 
so I never had the opportunity to meet the school's obviously incredible art teacher or tour the art room. 
Maybe I can wrangle my way back for another visit in the future. 
This is my type of building! 
The entire building is filled with Kindergarten and first grade ONLY.

This delightful mural was HUGE HUGE HUGE HUGE!!! 

The picture below feels like a teeny thumbnail in retrospect. 

It was made on that over-sized roll-of-paper, that you might use to cover a bulletin board. 

In this case, the black backdrop went the length of the hallway. 

The stars swirled in a VanGogh-like starry night scene extra-ordinaire. 

There I go again, mixing my metaphors again. 

Here's the link to my recent Art History 101 RoundUP. 

BEHOLD! 

APPRECIATE!!

Eric Carle Extension!!!

Shift gears again. 

We're going to take a look at Mrs. Gilmore's direction of their annual kinder response to 

"The Tiny Seed." 

Here's this year's interpretation. 

I LUV the collaboration here. 

I LUV the kinder-handwritten labels. 

I LUV the color. 

I LUV the arrows! 

Believe it or not, this year's version is down-sized from last.

Now for some close-ups of each season.

These are brilliant in their execution. 

I LUV the arrows that direct you from one season to the next.

Take a look at last year's version of the same picture book. 
This was HUGE! 
These seasonal pictures were each GIGANTIC! 
The finished display went from floor to ceiling. 
What is similar from one year to the next is the innocence and delight! 
[The photo collage below if of my making and doesn't follow the circular path laid out in the work above.]

We pop from the hallways of Hilliard, OH above to Wisconsin for this rendition of 

"Papa, Please Get the Moon for Me." 

I LUV when an image of the book and art being studied is displayed among the student work. 

That is such a brilliant idea. 

Helps the students. 

Helps the parents. 

Again. Connects the dots. 

Leads to meaningful conversations. 

Now. We're back in Hudson, OH for these clever spider webs. 

Remember scratch-off papers that reveal a rainbow spectrum below? 
This is the perfect project to combine that opportunity with early literacy. 
Even though each student is creating a spider web....
They are each completely unique! 

By far the most recent of Eric Carle's picture books 
to receive attention in my RoundUP today is: 
"Mister Seahorse" 
released in 2004. 

Let's conclude with these amazing pieces on display outside the art room in Wisconsin. 
They feel like they are the grand-children of the work of Eric Carle.
Student work that reflects: 
The colors. 
The simplicity. 
The layers. 
The vibrancy. 
The innocence. 
The joy. 
The merging of art and subject. 

A quick web-search leads you to all sorts of brilliant support materials. 

Did you know? 

There is an Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art! 

At the top of my professional bucket-list of field trips for sure! 

Speaking of me. 

Very humbling to even suggest that my work belongs in the same article. 

The quilted illustrations I created for my first book, 

"You're Wonderful" 

have some resonation to Mr. Carle's crisp design.

At the very least, I hope they demonstrate my appreciation for his lifetime contribution, 

as I have been a life-time fan.

As a former art teacher charged with the responsibility for projects such as these in response to Mr. Carle's work, I am gonzo excited to see what others create in response to my work. 

Take a look at this incredible gymnasium size work. 

My book is based on my earlier original-song for children.

Teachers kept asking me for support materials. 

Pretty soon, it started to feel like a new project. 

It felt like a book! 

I adore seeing my work translated by children. 

Look what Carie had her Kinderoos create earlier this spring!

Her school residency was defrayed by the area reading council.  

Collaborative Quilt in Honor of my Arrival in Central Illinois

My song is now available as a digital download! 

It's a perfect way to end your school year. 

It's an even better way to begin next year with a whole new group! 

My work is available on my website and at our new collaborative: 

Early Education Emporium. 

It is also available at TeachersPayTeachers. 

I am hoping that you've found this article inspirational. 
I am hoping that you will be kind to 'pin-generously' from the many images. 

Pinterest is by far and away my main source of marketing. 
As a 'self-published' author-illustrator, I count on your word-of-mouth support. 

Your pin-of-finger support ripples out all across cyber-space. 

Thank you from the bottom of my heart. 

-- Debbie -- 

P.S.  I'm not quite finished, in the hopes that you might be an art teacher looking for additional inspiration, here are some quick links here within my blog that I think you will find helpful:  

Art History 101 Children's Art Responses



Directory of Fellow Art Teacher Pinterest Links of 432 Pinterest Links





RoundUP of Art Room Organization



75+ Favorite Arts and Crafts Projects 

P.P.S. And some final footnotes of other great fellow bloggers and their projects: 

Visit Fit Kids to see how pool noodles were used to create a caterpillar and other goodies. 
What a clever and inexpensive way to build your own sculpture. 



Take a look at this well-loved copy of the classic and then be SURE to follow this link to see how this incredible response was created at Powerful Mothering. You owe it to yourself to see how the 'butterfly' looks. BREATH taking! 

Thanks again for your pin!

I'm now at 123,089 followers!     

Click this link to go there directly! 

Now at 368 followers!

Yes. I am a new Amazon Affiliate. 

That means every time you click from here to purchase, 

you are supporting my theoretical retirement. 

I benefit from your going to purchase, by starting from here. 

I have an ENTIRE store of some of my favorite things, up-top, in my tabs. 

I've already done the window shopping for your ease. 

There is an entire industry of creations to support this amazing work. Maybe just a few more?
These next ones are included for the 'serious' new grandmothers included in my readers. 


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