Small Living Things: The Magical Art of Eric Carle

When Eric Carle was a boy, his father took him on walks in nature, peeled back the bark of a tree to show him the tiny creatures who lived underneath. “I think in my books, I honor my father by writing about small living things,” Eric Carle said. Animals and insects were a central theme in Eric Carle’s long career as a Picture Writer, a title given to him by a young reader. “To me pictures need writing and writing needs pictures. A child once called me a picture writer, and that’s a good way to describe me,” Carle wrote.

The exhibition Small Living Things highlights the small creatures from Eric Carle’s collection with original artwork from his well-known books The Very Hungry Caterpillar, The Very Quiet Cricket, The Very Busy Spider, The Very Clumsy Click Beetle, The Grouchy Ladybug, and more, as well as larger animals from the classic Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? collaboration with Bill Martin Jr.

In addition, Small Living Things features examples of process art and sketches, poster designs, an early advertisement, and objects representative of Eric Carle’s influence in contemporary culture—such as the McDonald’s Happy Meal toy series (1996) and an Eric Carle-inspired bronze statue by sculptor Nancy Schön, creator of the Make Way for Ducklings sculpture in the Boston Public Garden.

This exhibition organized by The Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art, Amherst, Massachusetts. 

Schedule 

February 14 – May 26, 2024
Michener Art Museum, Doylestown, PA