The Carle Honors 2012

 The 7th annual Carle Honors, a celebration of The Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art, held last week in the inspiring Guastavino's located under the 59th Street bridge, was a wonderful occasion and especially special this year because it is the Museum's 10th anniversary year. The Carle Honors was co-hosted by my dear friend Norton Juster (creator of The Phantom Tollbooth) who with illustrator and cartoonist Jules Feiffer (who, among other books for children, illustrated Norton's The Phantom Tollbooth) brought many smiles to the audience with their humorous speech.

The talented and dedicated staff at the Museum managed once again to organize an elegant evening and auction. Honored at the event were Christopher Cerf (Bridge), Kent Brown (Angel), Frances Foster (Mentor), and Lane Smith (Artist). It was a pleasure to be surrounded by so many artists and writers, editors and friends of the world of picture books with the green glow filling the arched ceilings and space around us.

Photos by Johnny Wolf Photography (c) 2012 The Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art

Beyond Books

I am very pleased that some of my non-illustration work, which I call "Art Art," will be on exhibit at The Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art later this month. Here are two pieces from the exhibition that are from a series of photographs that I hope you will enjoy. For more information, please visit the Museum's site here.

Happy August!

Eric Carle: Picture Writer

I am delighted to share that a new film has been made about my work called Eric Carle: Picture Writer The Art of the Picture Book. And that the New England Film Festival Premiere for this film will take place on Saturday, July 28th 2012 at the Woods Hole Film Festival!

Here is a short trailer you might like to watch.

Ezra Jack Keats

It is a delight and an honor to have the work of Ezra Jack Keats on exhibit at The Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art. In the mid-1960's, when I was just getting started as an illustrator of books for children, a friend of mine offered to introduce me to Ezra Keats, a Caldecott Medal Winner. The truth was, I did not know what the Caldecott Medal was or meant at that early stage of my career.

Soon afterward, I was fortunate to have lunch with the very kind and warm Ezra Jack Keats. After lunch, Ezra invited me to his studio where he showed me how he created his beautiful marbled papers. We talked about the business of publishing, he explained so much to me. And he assured me -- I had not quite made the leap of faith into the new direction I was heading -- a living could be made from illustrating books for children.

So, from strangers to colleagues, we soon became friends. We had dinners together and went to parties at each other's apartments in the Village or the Upper Eastside. I was a greenhorn at the threshold of the world of picture book making, and he an experienced professional who reached out to me, such a kind and generous spirit.

I hope you will enjoy the exhibit of his work and if you cannot see it at the Museum, enjoy his wonderful books. 

Ezra Jack Keats, 1973. Photo: Beverly Hall. The Snowy Day and The Art of Ezra Jack Keats is organized by The Jewish Museum, New York, from the collection of the de Grummond Children's Literature Collection, The University of Southern Mississippi. The exhibition was funded at The Jewish Museum through a generous grant from the Ezra Jack Keats Foundation. Additional support was provided by the Joseph Alexander Foundation, the Alfred J. Grunebaum Fund, and the Winnick Family Foundation. Exhibition support at The Carle has been generously provided by Penguin Young Readers Group and the Ezra Jack Keats Foundation.

Birthday gift

I have been enjoying my birthday week in Massachusetts, especially this past Saturday when it was such a gift to meet so many friends at my annual book signing at The Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art. It gives me a hopeful feeling to see the families together and to meet the teachers and parents and grandparents. Thank you so much for coming all who were there - from near and far - I had a great time!

Photo credit: Kristin Angel

My Annual Book Signing

I am looking forward to seeing friends and visitors and to signing books with my favorite blue pens at
The Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art on Saturday, June 23, 2012. For more information about the signing, please visit the Museum's web site here. Hope to see you there!