Eric Carle has died(washingtonpost.com)
washingtonpost.com
Eric Carle has died
https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/obituaries/eric-carle-dead/2021/05/26/cbb39414-2234-11e4-8593-da634b334390_story.html
167 comments
What's fascinating about the Very Hungry Caterpillar was that the "stomach ache" and nice green leaf was forced upon him by his publisher. He wanted it to be "caterpillar eats lots of silly things because he's hungry, becomes huge, becomes butterfly".
The moralizing "nice green leaf" was neither his idea nor desired.
The moralizing "nice green leaf" was neither his idea nor desired.
I'm not sure this anecdote is meant to be taken factually. It originates (apparently) from an interview with Eric Carle for a literary magazine,
https://www.theparisreview.org/the-art-of-fiction-carle
But the tone of the article is clearly tongue-in-cheek, and also it has a publication date of April 1.
https://www.theparisreview.org/the-art-of-fiction-carle
But the tone of the article is clearly tongue-in-cheek, and also it has a publication date of April 1.
Oof, shows the downside of social media. My bad.
And yet you haven't corrected your original post, I have read it, believed it, and told everyone I know that the nice green leaf is propaganda.
Isn't that on you, for trusting some random on HN and failing to fact-check?
Modern life demands critical thinking skills.
Modern life demands critical thinking skills.
That's like saying, if you believe someone's defamatory statements, that's on you, but the speaker is innocent.
> That's like saying, if you believe someone's defamatory statements, that's on you, but the speaker is innocent.
Not really. Being mistaken is not the same thing as being defamatory. If someone is honestly just incorrect, and you go parroting what they said without independently verifying (especially if the person is a pseudo-anonymous internet commenter and not a subject-matter expert) then frankly that is entirely your fault.
Being intentionally deceived is another matter.
Not really. Being mistaken is not the same thing as being defamatory. If someone is honestly just incorrect, and you go parroting what they said without independently verifying (especially if the person is a pseudo-anonymous internet commenter and not a subject-matter expert) then frankly that is entirely your fault.
Being intentionally deceived is another matter.
That’s free speech, no?
Hackernews comments can't be edited or deleted after a few minutes. There's nothing he can do about it
there was an hour between the (probably wrong) information, and the evidence suggesting it might be wrong (I say probably wrong because April 1 and tongue in cheek doesn't automatically prove the anecdote is untrue)
There was 4 hours between the original probably wrong post and yours.
Did you really manage to spread to everyone you know in that 4 hours that the nice green leaf is propaganda? Why? It sounds at most like something I might drop in passing conversation, not something I would attempt to broadcast when first told of it.
on edit: having read further down I see that the probably wrong is actually wrong, it was definitely a joke issue.
There was 4 hours between the original probably wrong post and yours.
Did you really manage to spread to everyone you know in that 4 hours that the nice green leaf is propaganda? Why? It sounds at most like something I might drop in passing conversation, not something I would attempt to broadcast when first told of it.
on edit: having read further down I see that the probably wrong is actually wrong, it was definitely a joke issue.
[deleted]
Blame HN for locking the edit button after a relatively brief time, not me.
I didn’t read it that way. It seems like a completely normal interview.
Look at the rest of the issue:
https://www.theparisreview.org/blog/2015/04/01/the-paris-rev...
Definitely a parody.
https://www.theparisreview.org/blog/2015/04/01/the-paris-rev...
Definitely a parody.
You read this as a straight-faced literary defense of "Very Hungry Caterpillar"?
"I don’t recognize childhood obesity. No one should. I see children doing what they like, which is eating, and doing it without the shame or remorse later drilled into them by Judeo-Christian ethics. This is what I mean when I say juvenile morality: it’s a kind of a priori humanism. Children predate the law."
The whole interview is one long joke, and the part about the publisher changing the plot is a knowing parody of author-editor relations -- to anyone who's ever been within blast radius of one!
"I don’t recognize childhood obesity. No one should. I see children doing what they like, which is eating, and doing it without the shame or remorse later drilled into them by Judeo-Christian ethics. This is what I mean when I say juvenile morality: it’s a kind of a priori humanism. Children predate the law."
The whole interview is one long joke, and the part about the publisher changing the plot is a knowing parody of author-editor relations -- to anyone who's ever been within blast radius of one!
See my other comment on this thread, I totally see now this is a joke. :)
To be fair, I think being sick after eating tons of candy is probably pretty accurate.
> nice green leaf was forced upon him by his publisher
As pointed out in comments elsewhere in this discussion, this factoid seems to come from a satirical parody "interview".
As pointed out in comments elsewhere in this discussion, this factoid seems to come from a satirical parody "interview".
The only primary source for this story seems to be a parody issue of The Paris Review.[1] And his list of articles and interviews doesn't mention it.[2]
[1] https://www.theparisreview.org/the-art-of-fiction-carle
[2] https://eric-carle.com/about-eric-carle/articles-interviews/
[1] https://www.theparisreview.org/the-art-of-fiction-carle
[2] https://eric-carle.com/about-eric-carle/articles-interviews/
Where does it say it’s a parody issue? An April 1 publication date isn’t nearly enough evidence to make that claim, and the interview itself isn’t written in a cheeky way. What seems to make you think this is the case?
Consider that the issue is introduced as the “inaugural issue” of a companion quarterly for young readers. Then consider these entries from the table of contents:
- You Whoreson Cullionly Barber-Monger! 9 Bully-busting Insults from Shakespeare
- Your Struggle: Karl Ove Knausgaard Helps You Navigate the School Yard
https://www.theparisreview.org/blog/2015/04/01/the-paris-rev...
- You Whoreson Cullionly Barber-Monger! 9 Bully-busting Insults from Shakespeare
- Your Struggle: Karl Ove Knausgaard Helps You Navigate the School Yard
https://www.theparisreview.org/blog/2015/04/01/the-paris-rev...
Ok, yup. You’ve convinced me. This is definitely a joke issue. :D
Also, the included word game is…hilarious. https://www.theparisreview.org/word-hunt
Also, the included word game is…hilarious. https://www.theparisreview.org/word-hunt
Ha, great find!
There are very few justifications for the existence of Twitter but one is undoubtedly Eric Carle's feed. He posted new drawings for every holiday.
https://twitter.com/ericcarle?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcam...
https://twitter.com/ericcarle?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcam...
That Twitter is awesome, thanks!
I was a little disappointed in twitter marking his "happy Hanukkah" drawing as "sensitive content"
I was a little disappointed in twitter marking his "happy Hanukkah" drawing as "sensitive content"
So the words "happy chanukah" were visible, I had to click a button to see the menorah with the caterpillar.
I'm going out on a limb here, BUT perhaps Twitter was flagging the combination of the menorah WITH the caterpillar. Imagine, a Jewish symbol with a pig head - that might be offensive to Jewish people.
Perhaps Twitter speculates that the insect (a non kosher food) with the menorah is making it unclean - and thus offensive. Perhaps. Again, I'm not certain. I'm also not offended. Nor am I Jewish. And I don't eat caterpillars.
I'm going out on a limb here, BUT perhaps Twitter was flagging the combination of the menorah WITH the caterpillar. Imagine, a Jewish symbol with a pig head - that might be offensive to Jewish people.
Perhaps Twitter speculates that the insect (a non kosher food) with the menorah is making it unclean - and thus offensive. Perhaps. Again, I'm not certain. I'm also not offended. Nor am I Jewish. And I don't eat caterpillars.
I really doubt that's the issue. As if a fly or an ant has never set foot on a menorah before? It's a non issue. It's not like we eat menorahs anyway.
I assume it's an AI mistake, but I don't get what the AI thought it was seeing.
I assume it's an AI mistake, but I don't get what the AI thought it was seeing.
I'm in USA and not censored for me, although I'm logged in and have view sensitive content turned on
Was censored for me as well. Very strange. I'd guess it has been reported a few times.
Strange, it's not marked sensitive in mine. Are twitter personalising the labelling of tweets now?
That would make sense but be extra funny to label a happy Hanukkah post as sensitive for me in particular! That would be a pretty broken algorithm.
Unless it's per region perhaps. Are you in the USA?
Unless it's per region perhaps. Are you in the USA?
I'm in NZ, and not marked sensitive for me
Also in NZ and it is marked a sensitive both when not logged in and when logged in.
Maybe he marked it that way himself to prevent other people reporting it and risk getting his whole account marked as potentially sensitive.
Maybe he marked it that way himself to prevent other people reporting it and risk getting his whole account marked as potentially sensitive.
I am in Canada, noticed it was marked sensitive for me
> I was a little disappointed in twitter marking his "happy Hanukkah" drawing as "sensitive content
Ugh. I hope that's a mistake and not foretelling a future where anything that isn't completely universal is censored.
Ugh. I hope that's a mistake and not foretelling a future where anything that isn't completely universal is censored.
Wow. He was drawing and posting such joyful artwork so regularly, at the ripe old age of 91, right up to a few weeks ago!
Thank you for that link, had no idea.
Thanks for sharing!
Not to downplay the cultural importance of The Very Hungry Caterpillar – but can I suggest another one of Eric Carle's books?
It's called "Pancakes, Pancakes!" In it, the protagonist wants to eat some pancakes – but he discovers that in order to do so, he needs to harvest and mill some wheat, milk a cow and churn some butter, and so forth.
I read this to my kids when they were little, and it struck me as actually a pretty good lesson about how much work goes on outside of our house, in order to make Saturday Pancakes possible. But it's not presented in a preachy way at all – more of an excited way, like "isn't it interesting how much background work goes into Saturday Pancakes?".
I credit that book with getting my kids interested in food/cooking and much more than that as well – the seed of thinking about what has to happen for an Amazon box to show up at your door with a particular gizmo.
So I'll pour out some pancake batter for Eric Carle on Saturday morning.
It's called "Pancakes, Pancakes!" In it, the protagonist wants to eat some pancakes – but he discovers that in order to do so, he needs to harvest and mill some wheat, milk a cow and churn some butter, and so forth.
I read this to my kids when they were little, and it struck me as actually a pretty good lesson about how much work goes on outside of our house, in order to make Saturday Pancakes possible. But it's not presented in a preachy way at all – more of an excited way, like "isn't it interesting how much background work goes into Saturday Pancakes?".
I credit that book with getting my kids interested in food/cooking and much more than that as well – the seed of thinking about what has to happen for an Amazon box to show up at your door with a particular gizmo.
So I'll pour out some pancake batter for Eric Carle on Saturday morning.
Thanks for that suggestion, I like the sound of that. It sounds a little like the story of the Little Red Hen who bakes a loaf of bread, but without the moral about her friends not helping but then expecting to eat the bread.
In German, it is called Die kleine Raupe Nimmersatt which, translated word-by-word, means The small Caterpillar Never-sated. I always found that an especially cute name.
How is The Very Hungry Caterpillar called in your language? Did the translator have similar freedoms with the name?
How is The Very Hungry Caterpillar called in your language? Did the translator have similar freedoms with the name?
French seems to be La Chenille qui fait des trous: The Caterpillar That Makes Holes. Very underwhelming compared to the German or Dutch translations if you ask me!
I have a French partner (am German myself) and was surprised how old-fashioned many French children's literature is (only changed with very recent books). The same goes for translations of other work.
When we had children I was absolutely amazed that my partner didn't know Pippi Longstockings. Well turned out that the French translation was tamed/censored significantly, because Pippi was too rebellious (I know the irony in France), and because of that was never successful. They only made a new, more accurate translation in the late 1990s. Hence my partner who is born significantly before didn't know it.
When we had children I was absolutely amazed that my partner didn't know Pippi Longstockings. Well turned out that the French translation was tamed/censored significantly, because Pippi was too rebellious (I know the irony in France), and because of that was never successful. They only made a new, more accurate translation in the late 1990s. Hence my partner who is born significantly before didn't know it.
Part of this is of course the name. Pippi sounds like "pipi" as in "faire pipi", to pee. So they renamed her Fifi.
Dutch: Rupsje Nooitgenoeg (Little Caterpillar Neverenough)
> In German, it is called Die kleine Raupe Nimmersatt which, translated word-by-word, means The small Caterpillar Never-sated. I always found that an especially cute name.
So if we translated it from german directly back to english, the title would be "The Insatiable Caterpillar". Which is close to original "The Very Hungry Caterpillar" but not quite the same. There is a difference between "insatiable" and "very hungry" - namely the "very hungry" can eventually be sated.
It's strange how the translation/conversion from one language to another and then back doesn't necessarily get you the original. It would be like converting $10 to euros and then back to dollars doesn't get you the original $10 ( ignoring fees ).
So if we translated it from german directly back to english, the title would be "The Insatiable Caterpillar". Which is close to original "The Very Hungry Caterpillar" but not quite the same. There is a difference between "insatiable" and "very hungry" - namely the "very hungry" can eventually be sated.
It's strange how the translation/conversion from one language to another and then back doesn't necessarily get you the original. It would be like converting $10 to euros and then back to dollars doesn't get you the original $10 ( ignoring fees ).
May I introduce you to Malinda. https://m.youtube.com/user/malineka146
She takes lyrics translates them from English to something else to something else gc a few times and then back to English. It's quite amusing.
She takes lyrics translates them from English to something else to something else gc a few times and then back to English. It's quite amusing.
In Hebrew it's 'הזחל הרעב' - 'the Hungry Catterpillar' (i used to add stuff to what else the catterpillar was eating, my kids would usually join the show, and so the caterpillar was eating couscous and falafel. Did you guys do that to?).
In Italian same as in German: “Il piccolo bruco maisazio”. Having “mai” (never) “sazio” (sated) fused as a single word is unusual in Italian but very effective in this case. https://it.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Il_piccolo_Bruco_Maisazio
I'm Swedish, my wife is from Belgium and introduced me to Eric Carle when she bought several of his books for our children. Before that I had never read any of his books and only recognised the title of The Very Hungry Caterpillar.
Looking a bit I can't find any of his books in Swedish and neither he nor the caterpillar seem to have a Swedish wiki page.
Looking a bit I can't find any of his books in Swedish and neither he nor the caterpillar seem to have a Swedish wiki page.
Here's the book in Swedish: https://www.adlibris.com/se/bok/den-mycket-hungriga-larven-9...
Anecdotally I'd say well over half the people I know here in Sweden with kids of the relevant age own a copy. I also definitely read it as a kid, had it read to me in kindergarten, and even remember it as an 'animated' TV show (basically panning shots over the illustrations as a narrator read the story).
Anecdotally I'd say well over half the people I know here in Sweden with kids of the relevant age own a copy. I also definitely read it as a kid, had it read to me in kindergarten, and even remember it as an 'animated' TV show (basically panning shots over the illustrations as a narrator read the story).
It's fascinating how culture can be so segmented within such a small population. When we got the books for our kids I read them and loved them. I told my mother about them and she didn't recognize them at all.
How old are you? I was born in 1987 so I grew up in the nineties.
How old are you? I was born in 1987 so I grew up in the nineties.
I grew up in the 80s, so that could be a factor.
In Portuguese, it's _Uma lagarta muito comilona_ according to Amazon - something like "A very guzzling cartepillar"
In Spanish it’s La oruga muy hambrienta which is a straight translation of the English.
"The Very Hungry Caterpillar" will always have a special place in my heart. I can't begin to describe how fond my memories are of my two year old son reciting the words on the Saturday page for the first time:
“On Saturday, he ate through one piece of chocolate cake, one ice-cream cone, one pickle, one slice of Swiss cheese, one slice of salami, one lollipop, one piece of cherry pie, one sausage, one cupcake, and one slice of watermelon.
That night he had a stomach ache.”
Such a precious memory for me. Thank you Eric Carle. RIP.
“On Saturday, he ate through one piece of chocolate cake, one ice-cream cone, one pickle, one slice of Swiss cheese, one slice of salami, one lollipop, one piece of cherry pie, one sausage, one cupcake, and one slice of watermelon.
That night he had a stomach ache.”
Such a precious memory for me. Thank you Eric Carle. RIP.
Amen.
Also thanks Eric Carle for getting my kids to eat apples, pears, plums, strawberries, oranges, chocolate cake, ice-cream, pickles, Swiss cheese, salami, lollipops, cherry pie, sausage, cupcake, and watermelons (and nice green leaves)!
Also thanks Eric Carle for getting my kids to eat apples, pears, plums, strawberries, oranges, chocolate cake, ice-cream, pickles, Swiss cheese, salami, lollipops, cherry pie, sausage, cupcake, and watermelons (and nice green leaves)!
Books for babies and toddlers are pretty much all the same: cute drawings and simple sentences. On some level, they're all goofy and inane. There's no accounting for taste to be sure, but I am especially baffled why some of these books grow tiresome after two read-throughs, while you are delighted to see your toddler reach for certain books again and again. Eric Carle's books are all in the latter camp for me. The illustrations are beautiful, of course, but something about the stupidly simple prose and narrative just ineffably works. I'm grateful to him.
My wife has a masters in reading and language arts in early childhood education. Which means shes also a LOT better at reading to the kids than me.
What i never realized was that a LOT of these books, Eric Carles are in that camp, are using words chosen to teach kids basic language skills and sentence formation. The ones that dont really employ a lot of those learning mechanisms, seem to be the ones that we grow tired of quickly and hit the back of the stack.. Im sure Nostalgia is part of it too.
Dr. Suess is similar and very heavy on sounds/aliteration. But you would be surprised to know that many of his books actually use very few words. Like Green Eggs and Ham is like 50 pages of sentence after sentence but only uses like 50 words total or something like that (i could be wrong, its one of the most famous ones that like that).
Honestly when I read to my young kids, i would get tired of the same books over and over and would just kinda make up the story. Now that my kids are learning to actually read, I dont do that anymore.
What i never realized was that a LOT of these books, Eric Carles are in that camp, are using words chosen to teach kids basic language skills and sentence formation. The ones that dont really employ a lot of those learning mechanisms, seem to be the ones that we grow tired of quickly and hit the back of the stack.. Im sure Nostalgia is part of it too.
Dr. Suess is similar and very heavy on sounds/aliteration. But you would be surprised to know that many of his books actually use very few words. Like Green Eggs and Ham is like 50 pages of sentence after sentence but only uses like 50 words total or something like that (i could be wrong, its one of the most famous ones that like that).
Honestly when I read to my young kids, i would get tired of the same books over and over and would just kinda make up the story. Now that my kids are learning to actually read, I dont do that anymore.
My understanding is that Dr. Seuss & P.D. Eastman books (among others) were primarily intended to be read by kids learning to read, not to be read aloud by parents.
But I have personally found these books with extreme limited vocabulary to be much better read-aloud books for 2-year-olds than books for independent reading by 4–5 year-olds. More generally, many other graded readers are excellent read-aloud books. At age 2–3, my kids particularly enjoyed the Henry and Mudge books https://www.amazon.com/dp/1534427139, and everything by Arnold Lobel.
If you are trying to teach kids to read, let me highly recommend Bloomfield’s workbook Let’s Read from the early 60s, which I heard about from a 2012 comment here on HN by Tokenadult. https://www.amazon.com/dp/0814311156 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4665466
Bloomfield was one of the leading linguists of his era, and his book is very carefully structured to introduce only one new spelling–sound association per lesson, with the first half consisting of only regularly spelled words, so there is no possible confusion, with the full mishmash of irregular words only introduced after the reader is already fluent with regular spellings.
My son & I started working through it together for about 10–15 minutes per day when he was 3.5 years old, and it took about 8 months to get to the end, after which he could fluently read pretty much any material he could comprehend. As a not-quite-5 year-old he now happily independently reads books intended for 3rd–4th graders. (I’m not trying to suggest every kid should start on such a project at that age; every kid is different, and interests and attention span vary.)
But I have personally found these books with extreme limited vocabulary to be much better read-aloud books for 2-year-olds than books for independent reading by 4–5 year-olds. More generally, many other graded readers are excellent read-aloud books. At age 2–3, my kids particularly enjoyed the Henry and Mudge books https://www.amazon.com/dp/1534427139, and everything by Arnold Lobel.
If you are trying to teach kids to read, let me highly recommend Bloomfield’s workbook Let’s Read from the early 60s, which I heard about from a 2012 comment here on HN by Tokenadult. https://www.amazon.com/dp/0814311156 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4665466
Bloomfield was one of the leading linguists of his era, and his book is very carefully structured to introduce only one new spelling–sound association per lesson, with the first half consisting of only regularly spelled words, so there is no possible confusion, with the full mishmash of irregular words only introduced after the reader is already fluent with regular spellings.
My son & I started working through it together for about 10–15 minutes per day when he was 3.5 years old, and it took about 8 months to get to the end, after which he could fluently read pretty much any material he could comprehend. As a not-quite-5 year-old he now happily independently reads books intended for 3rd–4th graders. (I’m not trying to suggest every kid should start on such a project at that age; every kid is different, and interests and attention span vary.)
That’s interesting. I had some credits on Amazon so I got the book. I’ll check it out and see about working with my 5yo this summer.
And that’s pretty amazing for your kid. That’s waaaaay above normal. We read every night to the kids, but we aren’t a huge reading family (if that makes sense)
And that’s pretty amazing for your kid. That’s waaaaay above normal. We read every night to the kids, but we aren’t a huge reading family (if that makes sense)
Jim Keller (cpu designer): "I joke, like, I read books. And people think, 'Oh, you read books'. Well, no, I've read a couple of books a week, for [50] years."[1] Thought you might like.
[1] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nb2tebYAaOA&t=5044s
[1] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nb2tebYAaOA&t=5044s
Thanks for the recommendation. If this comment piqued anyone else's interest, as it did mine, there is an updated version of Bloomfield's Let’s Read: https://www.amazon.com/Lets-Read-Linguistic-Clarence-Barnhar...
There is some discussion of the differences in the two editions in https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4665466 as well as the reviews on Amazon. I am going to give the updated version a try.
There is some discussion of the differences in the two editions in https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4665466 as well as the reviews on Amazon. I am going to give the updated version a try.
> What i never realized was that a LOT of these books,
This is part of a broader phenomenon, where most things are more complicated than you first think when you dig into it. This leads some people to assume work in areas they don't understand is easy.
This is part of a broader phenomenon, where most things are more complicated than you first think when you dig into it. This leads some people to assume work in areas they don't understand is easy.
I constantly assume that parts of my own job are easier than they turn out to be.
'That should only take 30 minutes' - winds up taking 2 calendar weeks.
'That should only take 30 minutes' - winds up taking 2 calendar weeks.
I have to typically impress in my first line support guys that “if you don’t want people to think your job is simple, then you shouldn’t assume the same of them”
Heck I get people that think MY job is just clicking next on installers, there are entire swaths of things we do that others simply aren’t aware of because it’s transparent to them. I even had one lady question how much I made based on that very assumption. (She’s not a very nice person in general anyway)
Heck I get people that think MY job is just clicking next on installers, there are entire swaths of things we do that others simply aren’t aware of because it’s transparent to them. I even had one lady question how much I made based on that very assumption. (She’s not a very nice person in general anyway)
Anecdote: I was in a corporate (software) packaging (and deployment) team for a fleet of ten thousand workstations.
The new CIO knew not our role and assumed we were a physical packaging team, dealing with bubble wrap and cardboard boxes - "why do we pay them so much?"
The CIO was educated pretty quickly. :-)
edit: I had time, I wrote a shorter comment.
The new CIO knew not our role and assumed we were a physical packaging team, dealing with bubble wrap and cardboard boxes - "why do we pay them so much?"
The CIO was educated pretty quickly. :-)
edit: I had time, I wrote a shorter comment.
[deleted]
YES — you're nailing something that I've felt but haven't been able to articulate.
The worst children's books are ones that don't roll off the tongue, that use too-complicated phraseology, that through circumlocution challenge the rea—well, you get it. They trip me up!
The worst children's books are ones that don't roll off the tongue, that use too-complicated phraseology, that through circumlocution challenge the rea—well, you get it. They trip me up!
This is similar to ABBA songs: Superficially, they seem very simple, but they are quite complex internally, and when something is repeated, then it is often repeated in a slightly different way.
Actually the story about the Dr. Suess books is that they were deliberately written with only some limited number of words. IIRC there is a range of his books with fewer and fewer words, because he was getting challenged by his editor.
It may be an urban legend, but I think Green Eggs and Ham was based on a bet that Dr Suess couldn't write a book with less than 50 words long. Fair to say that he would have won that bet.
Not only does it restrict itself to a 50 word vocabulary, but 49 of them are monosyllabic. The one exception is "anywhere".
Some books I’m willing to read repeatedly: I Am A Bunny, and I Am A Mouse, both by Ole Risom and illustrated by Richard Scarry and John P. Miller, respectively, in a realistic style, as if they actually made the time to observe the plants and animals; Goodnight Moon by Margaret Wise Brown; Stack the Cats, by Susan Ghahremani; and Bear and Wolf, by Daniel Salmieri. The latter is my favorite so far because of this line, among others:
“Bear and Wolf walked through the quietly falling snow, using their eyes, and ears, and noses to take in the snowy woods.”
Bear is female, Wolf is male, and they are at home in the cold, as we can be if we allow ourselves to acclimate. They explore together, go they separate ways, and meet again in late spring.
“Bear and Wolf walked through the quietly falling snow, using their eyes, and ears, and noses to take in the snowy woods.”
Bear is female, Wolf is male, and they are at home in the cold, as we can be if we allow ourselves to acclimate. They explore together, go they separate ways, and meet again in late spring.
On the page in Goodnight Moon where the mouse is peeking out from behind the bowl full of mush, our 3-year old has started shouting at it "NO NO YOUNG MOUSE, GET AWAY FROM MY MUSH!!!" Makes me laugh every time.
I love the book, but honestly who sleeps with a bowl of oatmeal on their nightstand?! Never understood that.
Who says "Goodnight nobody?"
But what's the meaning behind "goodnight noises everywhere"?
I’ve wondered that for a while, especially combined with the previous pages saying “goodnight stars, goodnight air”
I love that part, and also "goodnight nobody" - the book starts out being very concrete (saying good night to all the things in the room) then expands out to encompass everything and nothing. It feels at once poetic and childlike.
While Goodnight Moon is everyone's favorite, there is something about "The Little Island" by Margaret Wise Brown that captured me as a parent. I loved reading this story out loud. The writing is poetic and flows off the tongue. The story has some nuance, that to this day I'm still not sure I fully grasp. This is my favorite book to give as a gift to new parents.
Her Runaway Bunny is great too!
I feel like Arnold Lobel is missing a look in here
Arnold Lobel is awesome. My first grader loves Frog and Toad and the Mouse stories.
I honestly think that Frog and Toad has lessons that are applicable even for adults. My wife and I will sometimes quote things like "'What we need is willpower,' said Frog." when meaning to stop snacking on something.
Also, I find Owl at Home intriguingly solipsistic, but that's not really a concept that I think my kids would understand.
Also, I find Owl at Home intriguingly solipsistic, but that's not really a concept that I think my kids would understand.
I echo all of this, including in appreciation of Carle's work. Despite the simple language, there's a sophistication and depth to the best children's books that mediocre ones lack.
My favorite to read to my little guys is _This is Not My Hat_ by Jon Klassen, which is one of the funniest, most subtle ones we've come across.
My favorite to read to my little guys is _This is Not My Hat_ by Jon Klassen, which is one of the funniest, most subtle ones we've come across.
Jon Klassen is great! Simple yet beautiful art and stories that are fun for both the parents and the kids. I love the final line of This Is Not My Hat, which works on two levels: "Nobody will ever find me."
It's so good to see Jon Klassen getting recognition on HN!
His books are superb! Short, sweet and extremely funny :D
His books are superb! Short, sweet and extremely funny :D
It can be surprisingly hard to find children's books that tell a story with a beginning, middle and end, and with writing that is engaging.
I distinctly remember one day Skyping with my mother telling her how hard it was to find good kids books and using "A Sick Day for Amos McGee" as an example of a good one. I recited a few lines to demonstrate the language, "Every day when his alarm clock clanged Amos swung his legs out of bed and swapped his pajamas for a fresh-pressed uniform"... my daughter, to my surprise (not yet old enough to talk at the time) rushed into the other room to fetch the book.
I distinctly remember one day Skyping with my mother telling her how hard it was to find good kids books and using "A Sick Day for Amos McGee" as an example of a good one. I recited a few lines to demonstrate the language, "Every day when his alarm clock clanged Amos swung his legs out of bed and swapped his pajamas for a fresh-pressed uniform"... my daughter, to my surprise (not yet old enough to talk at the time) rushed into the other room to fetch the book.
Highly recommend “the wolf, the duck, and the mouse” which is written by Mac Barnett and illustrated by Jon Klassen. Absurd and funny.
Adding to the recommended books: 'Bats at the Beach' by Brian Lies.
My kids never got tired of me reading it and I never got tired of reading it. They loved that book. The illustrations are extremely well done. Who would draw bats wearing floaties?
My kids never got tired of me reading it and I never got tired of reading it. They loved that book. The illustrations are extremely well done. Who would draw bats wearing floaties?
Sam and Dave Dig a Hole is hilarious for the kid and absolutely terrifying for the parent.
I don't like this idea of grouping them all as similar. There's a huge range of toddler-focused books, some are great, some are awful, most are in-between.
Brown Bear, Brown Bear from Carle himself is mediocre junk. It's just colors and animals, and has no character, no narrative, no arc.
The Hungry, Hungry Caterpillar is an amazing, astounding masterpiece. It is usually printed with a sort of dynamic tactical approach with different page sizes, holes in the pages, the story has a real arc, it teaches biology, it carefully works in numbers and days of the week and the idea of time frame… it's a true stand-out.
Most of Carle's stuff is somewhere in the middle, though he has a few other superb ones.
Just like art for older audiences, there really is a range. You could say that all movies are the same: people having conflicts and doing stuff. On some level, they're all dramatic and simplistic.
It's not mere taste. What makes a great book or movie for any age is not total relativism.
Brown Bear, Brown Bear from Carle himself is mediocre junk. It's just colors and animals, and has no character, no narrative, no arc.
The Hungry, Hungry Caterpillar is an amazing, astounding masterpiece. It is usually printed with a sort of dynamic tactical approach with different page sizes, holes in the pages, the story has a real arc, it teaches biology, it carefully works in numbers and days of the week and the idea of time frame… it's a true stand-out.
Most of Carle's stuff is somewhere in the middle, though he has a few other superb ones.
Just like art for older audiences, there really is a range. You could say that all movies are the same: people having conflicts and doing stuff. On some level, they're all dramatic and simplistic.
It's not mere taste. What makes a great book or movie for any age is not total relativism.
Brown Bear, Brown Bear is an excellent book for very young children (say, under 2 years old). It’s not a deep book, but it is not trying to be.
It has attractive clear illustrations of one animal per page, a simple repeating structure with only a few new words each page, nice rhyme/meter. Its structure involves repeatedly anticipating the next animal, which makes it easy to memorize.
It is a book my kids enjoyed “reading” aloud to themselves at age 1.5–2 before they could fully remember the content of more complicated picture books.
* * *
Of course, this isn’t the only type of book small kids should be listening to, and in the genre of extremely simple picture books there is a lot of abject garbage.
It has attractive clear illustrations of one animal per page, a simple repeating structure with only a few new words each page, nice rhyme/meter. Its structure involves repeatedly anticipating the next animal, which makes it easy to memorize.
It is a book my kids enjoyed “reading” aloud to themselves at age 1.5–2 before they could fully remember the content of more complicated picture books.
* * *
Of course, this isn’t the only type of book small kids should be listening to, and in the genre of extremely simple picture books there is a lot of abject garbage.
Like the other commenter I also thought the book was a dud and had nothing going on. But the "a teacher is what I see" finally clicked that series' large pictures were designed to communicate at distance. When my 8 month old wants to grab everything and not settle down to sleep, I can read her that book while she's in the crib and the calming cadence does its work. Will be fun to see her read it like your kids one day.
I can much more readily appreciate actually doing I-spy game in a physical space rather than a book like that.
But I'm not actually opposed to the basic structure of "animal color" that Brown Bear has, I think it could retain that and somehow also get more effective nuance. It's entirely superficial. Note also that 2yo's don't have an experience and relation to classes and teachers, so that doesn't even fit. The very same structure could be less arbitrary and be used instead to connect associations that are worthwhile making for the 2yo's, the way that Hungry Hungry Caterpillar doesn't just show randomness, it actually fits a real biological context.
Adapt Brown Bear to highlight an ecosystem that goes together and it would be superior and still achieve all the same interest in the 2yo's.
But I'm not actually opposed to the basic structure of "animal color" that Brown Bear has, I think it could retain that and somehow also get more effective nuance. It's entirely superficial. Note also that 2yo's don't have an experience and relation to classes and teachers, so that doesn't even fit. The very same structure could be less arbitrary and be used instead to connect associations that are worthwhile making for the 2yo's, the way that Hungry Hungry Caterpillar doesn't just show randomness, it actually fits a real biological context.
Adapt Brown Bear to highlight an ecosystem that goes together and it would be superior and still achieve all the same interest in the 2yo's.
My kid went thought a phase of really liking "Brown Bear, Brown Bear." Probably about the same age. And I think you're right -- it's the anticipation of seeing what the next animal / color combination will be.
Another one in a similar vein, which my kid liked, was "Here Are My Hands"
Another one in a similar vein, which my kid liked, was "Here Are My Hands"
My kids had a book about a wolf who made soup with a stone, "Une soupe aux caillou".
The wolf travels to other animals' homes; the animals are afraid at first, but they let him in because he says he only wants to make soup.
He comes in, boils water in a big pot, puts his stone in. The animals want to help with the soup, and so they suggest other ingredients. The wolf says "well, sure, you can add that if you want".
They drink the soup together. Then the wolf gets up, takes his stone back from the pot, and leaves.
The process repeats for 8 or 10 different animals, and that's it.
It's a fantastic book. We must have read it hundreds of times.
The wolf travels to other animals' homes; the animals are afraid at first, but they let him in because he says he only wants to make soup.
He comes in, boils water in a big pot, puts his stone in. The animals want to help with the soup, and so they suggest other ingredients. The wolf says "well, sure, you can add that if you want".
They drink the soup together. Then the wolf gets up, takes his stone back from the pot, and leaves.
The process repeats for 8 or 10 different animals, and that's it.
It's a fantastic book. We must have read it hundreds of times.
Which is in turn an adaptation of the parable of the stone soup
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stone_Soup
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stone_Soup
Wow, thank you... did not know that...
I enjoy Winnie the Pooh as much today as when I was 6. But for different reasons. Today I enjoy the sly humor in it.
It takes real talent to appeal to both young and old. The early Spongebob cartoons were like that, Bugs Bunny, and the early seasons of The Simpsons
It takes real talent to appeal to both young and old. The early Spongebob cartoons were like that, Bugs Bunny, and the early seasons of The Simpsons
I've heard that a lot of children's media often looks to help encourage pattern recognition (eg: counting the Very Hungry Caterpillar's foods or the structure of a Blue's Clues episode), but I don't know how true that is.
I've heard a corollary to this. Kids often love to watch/read the same thing because they recognize the pattern and know what is coming up next. This gives them comfort and a routine.
As an adult I love recognizing the patterns and anticipating what's coming next! The only difference is the patterns get more complex :)
for me, it was much easier to read books like Little Blue Truck or Goodnight Moon night after night to my kids because they rhyme. I could memorize the poetry and read it as my boys went to sleep while half-asleep myself.
This one line about hubris enters my thoughts unprovoked, an internal reproach, on occasion:
--------
He saw a puddle and he tried to swerve--
Into the mud rolled the big fat truck,
and his big important wheels got STUCK
--------
He saw a puddle and he tried to swerve--
Into the mud rolled the big fat truck,
and his big important wheels got STUCK
This is very true. I have the same response to many (but not all) Julia Donaldson books. I could happily read the Snail and the Whale every night to my kids. My son loved them all, but for some reason my daughter never took to them and it's always made me a bit sad that I don't get to read them to her.
I agree. I read his books, especially that one, to each of my kids, and still have very fond memories
Like many others here, I spent several years of my life with his books. "The Very Hungry Caterpillar" is obviously his best known classic, but in our house "Dream Snow" was the most popular.
https://www.amazon.com/Dream-Snow-Eric-Carle/dp/0399235795/
It's a great Christmas/Winter book. Definitely get the bigger, hardcover version. The illustrations are great and at the end of the story your kid will get to push a button and make some peaceful musical notes play.
https://www.amazon.com/Dream-Snow-Eric-Carle/dp/0399235795/
It's a great Christmas/Winter book. Definitely get the bigger, hardcover version. The illustrations are great and at the end of the story your kid will get to push a button and make some peaceful musical notes play.
TIL, the stomach-ache scene was forced by the publisher… https://twitter.com/unfortunatalie/status/139787073540681728...
Can no longer edit, but might be a fake parody interview from the Paris Review. Sorry.
https://twitter.com/buckwilson/status/1397930890446229504
https://twitter.com/AviTheNaftali/status/1397928222809939968
https://twitter.com/buckwilson/status/1397930890446229504
https://twitter.com/AviTheNaftali/status/1397928222809939968
The books have been a staple in our household as well, and I echo other people is saying that this a loss of a true talent. One thing I thought I'd add to the conversation is that a series of very well done short films were made based on some of his books. If your little ones are begging for some screen time and you're wary of what youtube will unleash on them, I found these to be a really fun series that keep to his unique and beautiful aesthetic, and at least my kids loved to watch The Very Hungry Caterpillar on the screen and then read it together afterwards, and maybe your children will feel the same!
The Very Hungry Caterpillar https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=75NQK-Sm1YY
I See a Song https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pPpkaldk84Y
Papa, Please Get The Moon for Me https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sGqAw7UM6qo
The Very Quiet Cricket https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sGqAw7UM6qo
The Mixed Up Chameleon https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FrmZeXf7ScU
"In the light of the moon, a little egg lay on a leaf..."
The Very Hungry Caterpillar https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=75NQK-Sm1YY
I See a Song https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pPpkaldk84Y
Papa, Please Get The Moon for Me https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sGqAw7UM6qo
The Very Quiet Cricket https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sGqAw7UM6qo
The Mixed Up Chameleon https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FrmZeXf7ScU
"In the light of the moon, a little egg lay on a leaf..."
Very grateful to Eric Carle and his contribution to the world.
Alan Kay said "People who are really serious about software should make their own hardware.". Makes me think that people who are really serious about writing books for children, should do their own illustrations.
Alan Kay said "People who are really serious about software should make their own hardware.". Makes me think that people who are really serious about writing books for children, should do their own illustrations.
While some excellent children’s books are one-person projects, most of my favorite children’s books have separate author / illustrator. There is no indication that they are less “serious”. You can find a large pile of terrible books with any possible authorship structure.
I do get the sense however that picture books are usually better when the author and illustrator collaborate closely.
I do get the sense however that picture books are usually better when the author and illustrator collaborate closely.
Could be as well, but as an aspiring childrens' book author, this just made me think there may be one more skill I will need to acquire.
Though by analogy, people who are really serious about writing books for children should really make their own children, no?
Yes, although (thinking personally, right now my kids are still little): before you have kids, you lack the audience and the experience; once your kids have grown out of picture books, you've lost the audience; and while you're bringing up little kids, you have no time to write books!
I've considered book-writing on occasion, but never seriously considered childrens' books, mainly because I have no illustration skills.
I've considered book-writing on occasion, but never seriously considered childrens' books, mainly because I have no illustration skills.
It certainly helps with building a test audience.
There's something to that and getting experience with all components of your craft.
Thank you Eric Carle.
I've greatly enjoyed reading his books to my children, especially "The Grouchy the Ladybug" and "Papa Please Get the Moon for Me".
In a similar vein, and for any curious readers out there, I was recently reduced to near tears reading "The Clown of God" by Tommie De Palo
I've greatly enjoyed reading his books to my children, especially "The Grouchy the Ladybug" and "Papa Please Get the Moon for Me".
In a similar vein, and for any curious readers out there, I was recently reduced to near tears reading "The Clown of God" by Tommie De Palo
I cry every time at that one.
I loved The Very Hungry Caterpillar as a kid, and now read it to my 6 month old before bed. He loves it too, smiling while playing with the little mini pages and me poking his finger into the holes as the caterpillar chomps through his feast. Precious moments.
RIP Eric Carle
RIP Eric Carle
I have this book and I have never looked him up until seeing this post today. All of my three daughters love this book and I didn't quite understand why as I grew up in a different culture.
RIP Eric. You've done great work for this world!
I didn't really understand why kids like it so much at first, but here's what I think, in very few words it explores lots of things: counting, days of the week, day/night cycle, lots of foods, separating fruit from junk food, and of the lifecycle of butterflies. Kids will find something engaging in there.
Plus the holes. Kids can't seem to stop themselves from interacting with it.
The Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art in Amherst, MA is worth a visit: https://www.carlemuseum.org/
Western Massachusetts is (or was in the case of Eric Carle) home to many famous children's book authors. Mo Willems, Norton Juster and Jane Yolen to name a few.
Here is a good article with more info:
https://www.bostonglobe.com/magazine/2017/04/05/how-western-...
Here is a good article with more info:
https://www.bostonglobe.com/magazine/2017/04/05/how-western-...
I loved Eric's books, and my daughters loved having me read the books to them some 20 years ago.
It's funny, as I read Eric's obituary I can hear my own voice reading those books to my daughters so long ago.
RIP Eric, and thank you for bringing us so many good times.
It's funny, as I read Eric's obituary I can hear my own voice reading those books to my daughters so long ago.
RIP Eric, and thank you for bringing us so many good times.
We have a small collection of his other books that are favorites with our 3 and 5 year old kids. "Pancakes, Pancakes", "The Tiny Seed", and "A House for Hermit Crab" in particular are regular reads at bedtime.
Interesting. My oldest also loves all three of these books, while his younger brother loves "The Very Hungry Caterpillar".
They're great books to make funny sounds with. They're also great for asking our kids questions about the stories.
They're great books to make funny sounds with. They're also great for asking our kids questions about the stories.
Mr Rogers visited him once:
https://www.misterrogers.org/videos/eric-carle/
https://www.misterrogers.org/videos/eric-carle/
This is one of my favorite Mr Rogers episodes.
I absolutely loved that book as a kid and still remember the art very clearly 25+ years later. Crazy how such simple things can have such long lasting impressions.
The Very Hungry Caterpillar is a lovely book, but I do wish it didn't have the caterpillar enter a cocoon and come out as a butterfly. It's caused a lot of confusion over the years (only moths make a cocoon, butterflies make a chrysalis).
Surprisingly, youtube did a reasonable job of The Very Hungry Caterpillar too.
English: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=75NQK-Sm1YY
English: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=75NQK-Sm1YY
> Books for babies and toddlers are pretty much all the same: cute drawings and simple sentences. On some level, they're all goofy and inane.
If you're tired of that, I'd highly recommend Happy Dog the Happy Dog:
https://topatoco.com/collections/ryan-north/products/qw-happ...
It's based on this comic:
https://qwantz.com/index.php?comic=484
If you're tired of that, I'd highly recommend Happy Dog the Happy Dog:
https://topatoco.com/collections/ryan-north/products/qw-happ...
It's based on this comic:
https://qwantz.com/index.php?comic=484
i enjoy reading to my 7 month old. she has no idea what's going on, but she likes being cuddled, the sound of her parent's voices and turning the pages. what i really enjoy is that she has no idea of linear narrative, so she will turn the book to the last page and then the first. then try to eat the book. then at some point cry.
the very hungry caterpillar is somewhat unique in that she absolutely loves the illustrations, like no other book. she really sits still and gazes agog at them, especially that picture of the sun at the beginning.
the very hungry caterpillar is somewhat unique in that she absolutely loves the illustrations, like no other book. she really sits still and gazes agog at them, especially that picture of the sun at the beginning.
His books are still in steady rotation at my house.
My mom read this book to me as a child all the time. 15/20 years later I ran across it some how. I remembered my brain doing some kind of "summer salt jump flip", awakening some hidden part of my brain recognizing those plums, apples, caterpillar, etc. The illustrations are so colorful and distinct.
I read The Very Hungry Caterpillar to my toddler. It really resonates with her because of all the fun pictures of food!
What strikes me about a lot of children's book is that they often talk about metamorphosis - which is a strange and beautiful concept. But we rarely encounter it in real life, other than figuratively.
What strikes me about a lot of children's book is that they often talk about metamorphosis - which is a strange and beautiful concept. But we rarely encounter it in real life, other than figuratively.
RIP Eric Carle.
Just a few days back my 5 year old announced how Eric Carle is his favorite author and how he wants to meet him. It took me quite by surprise because not many kids that young care about authors, they like a book and are done!
The 3-book box set, along with Lonely Firefly and Busy Spider, is still going strong with my 3 year old.
Although I try to limit the Caterpillar book now since my son will start demanding cake, ice cream, sausage, etc after we read it. Makes bedtime routine really hard
Although I try to limit the Caterpillar book now since my son will start demanding cake, ice cream, sausage, etc after we read it. Makes bedtime routine really hard
He wrote or illustrated some of our daughter's favorites. It's amazing to me just how classic these are. Something I had no idea about until becoming a parent. RIP Sir, and thank you for being part of our child's education.
It’s the first book I remember reading in both English (as a small child) and German (in college), and now my German-American baby is growing up with it in both languages.
My kids love his books.
FYI: the broadway production of his books is very well done as well.
FYI: the broadway production of his books is very well done as well.
Paywall
There should really be a black banner for this, dang?
It the became a “thing” where it was the first book we got for every kid born in my extended family, and now that I have my own kids 40+ years later it was the first I got for them too. They both know it by rote, have the toys, had the bed sheets, everything. They’re now in the early years of school and still absolutely love the story and have the posters in their rooms despite them being “old” for it.
RIP Eric. You’ve left an amazing mark on the world.