There won’t be a lot to say here, as most of this has been said elsewhere. Plus, it’s pretty straight-forward. Eric Carle is a writer and illustrator of children’s books, made famous by his simple, repetitive words and his pioneering work in collage illustration. He takes all his books from concept to final form, himself. The pictures couldn’t be brighter or more appealing to small children, with their primary colors and their varied visual textures.

You are most likely familiar with Carle’s work (whether from your own children or from that tissue paper art project you brought home in the third grade). Some of his most famous picture books are The Very Hungry Caterpillar and Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? But there are many others—at least 70—including board books, Early Readers, and picture books. The Eric Carle Library includes 8 board books and is a great purchase for a baby shower. There is no boxed set for the picture books, but they run around $5 for the soft cover versions.

On one hand, Carle’s books don’t jump out to me from the shelf, as they lack wit. But that’s totally not the point. Simple, bright illustrations paired with an interesting story and repetitive words? That’s exactly what makes a great book for your young reader, and these are absolute classics, especially The Very Hungry Caterpillar. They have also won many awards. As a bonus, many of them have animal themes.

To check out his website, which is fun and interactive and includes tons of information on the artist and his craft and a list of his works, click HERE.

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I read The Very Hungry Caterpillar, by Eric Carle and published first in 1969. I have also read Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?, The Grouchy Ladybug, The Very Busy Spider, The Lamb and the Butterfly, and Polar Bear, Polar Bear, What Do You See? The original manuscript, in French, was published in 1943.