A Teacher's Reflections

Just when I thought I might not discover something new, my recent visit to the Eric Carle Museum proved me very wrong.  Everything I experienced and saw was very new.  Lucky me!

The main event was the museum’s annual Barbara Ellerman Research Library (BERL) lecture.  This year’s presenter was Wendell Minor.  This is what is said about Minor:

“With roots in the images of the American Midwest and in classic American book illustration created by N.C. Wyeth, Winslow Homer and Edward Hopper, Minor has brought the art of twentieth-century illustrators into the twenty-first century.”
~Anita Silvey, author and editor~

Wow!  I was excited!

Minor has illustrated over two thousand book jackets of many famous authors, including David McCullough, James Michener, Harper Lee, and Mary Higgins Clark.  I knew these books and their jackets.  I hadn’t realized he was such a prolific artist.  Do you recognize these award winning books:

His fifty-year career includes illustrating many children’s books.  He has a strong love for nature and a reverence for the natural world- just what young children need to see in his illustrations.  I discovered a jewel!

My preschool class absolutely loves the book.  Did you know that the ruby-throated hummingbird migrates to Mexico every year?  I did not know that.  The trip is dangerous, many hummingbirds do not survive.  Children understood.

Children were on the edge of their seat throughout the book.  We learned hummingbird facts and we pulled out our Big Book Atlas to trace the long journey.

Minor brilliantly illustrated “America the Beautiful.”  Yes, I had to have this book, too.  I sang it to the children, and stopped at every glorious illustration on each page to truly see America, through the eyes of a visionary artist.

Children were excited to see this illustration,
as we’re reading “Little House on the Prairie.”

With my two treasured books in hand, and my mind full of what I had learned at the lecture, I toured the current exhibits.  Ed Emberley was featured!  My children loved his books growing up.  Many of his illustrations were done from woodcuts.  It was fascinating to see the original woodcut and the print itself.  The one of Paul Bunyan was life size!  Do you recognize these illustrations from “Green Says Go?”

Another exhibit was the modern art of Nura Woodson Ulreich, a woman far ahead of her time.  Her children’s picture books were mostly from the 40’s and early 50’s, and the illustrations are stunning.  I can’t put my finger on it, but there is something very familiar here from my childhood:

Of course no visit would be complete without seeing Eric Carle’s art.  His collection on display at the museum often has a theme, so every visit has something new and exciting.  At the very end, this is what I saw:

Another of Eric Carle’s many stars.  This one made me stop and look for a long time.  Yes, I had a lump in my throat.  People need art the way they need sunshine and food.  Art fills the heart.  Mine was full.

There is always something new at The Carle!

Jennie

P.S. Their bookshop has the best of the best books, new and old. It is far better than B&N.  I have always found high quality books.  The museum also has a full library.  By the desk, right inside the doorway, is a collection of the newest books.  They also have the full collection of every Caldecott award winning book.  In 2018 they were all displayed on a timeline, and I videoed the books:

I bet you recognize some of these books!  I still read many of these books to children.  Once a good book, always a good book.

I would be remiss if I didn’t give a big shout out to the museum’s art studio.  Children can drop in with their parents and create art.  Yes!  It’s a full studio packed with materials and inspirational ideas.  It’s very popular.  I am always inspired.