Exhibit Extended until February 12, 2017

“Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?” Those timeless words of Eric Carle have resonated since my eldest was an infant. With 70 books published during a career that has now spanned more than five decades, Eric Carle is one of the most prolific children’s authors of all time.

The High Museum is the sole venue for this exhibit, developed by The Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art in Amherst, Mass. Infants and preschool-aged children will especially enjoy the exhibit, and early elementary school kids can participate in a scavenger hunt in the Wieland Gallery. The exhibit is a wonderful way of exposing very young children to art because Carle’s use of bright colors and repetitiveness stimulates early learning.

The exhibit has been placed in two locations at the museum. Start with the collages in the Wieland Gallery – more than 80 collages from 16 of his most celebrated books. You’ll also find buckets of Eric Carle books in the gallery for parents and children to read as they visit, though I recommend reading at least one book with your children before you see the exhibit.

Some of Carle’s book drafts and the kinds of the materials that he uses in his collages (such as acrylic paints and white tissue paper) are on display. More displays help us to learn about Carle’s subjects and interests – such as his lifelong love of nature, which is a frequent theme in his books.

The rest of the exhibit is in the Greene Family Learning Gallery. You’ll find more Carle books, a mural depicting his collage illustration process (along with activity tables), and a large play caterpillar (to depict Carle’s famous book, The Very Hungry Caterpillar).

Why kids like it: It is a fun and interactive way to learn how picture books are made. My kids loved playing with the activity tables, and thought the whole exhibit was, “Great!”

Why parents like it: The collage illustration process display in the Greene Family Learning Gallery encourages visitors to actively learn about Carle’s creative process.

– Cindy Moss

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