The Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art

Who's coming to The Carle this May? 📖 We've got a marvelous line-up of Storytime events this month—Come join us! 📆 May 9 at 11–11:30 am | Talia Aikens-Nuñez 📆 May 10 at 2–4 pm | UPDATED - CLICK! Stories, Photos, Dance The Spanish & Portuguese Studies program at UMass share books from our exhibition, "CLICK! Photographers Make Picture Books". (@pipaproject.umass ) 📆 May 17 at 2–2:30 pm | Fiona Cook (@fionnualacook ) 📆 May 30 at 2–2:30 pm | Sarah Lynn Baker (@sarahlynnbaker ) Plus, be sure to check out our daily Storytime schedule on our website! __ 📘Wonder in the Garden (Nancy Paulsen Books). Text © 2026 Talia Aikens-Nuñez. Illustrations © 2026 Irena Freitas. 📗Contradança (Companhia Das Letrinhas). © 2011 Roger Mello. 📕 The Wheel of the Year: An Illustrated Guide to Nature’s Rhythms (Andrews McMeel Publishing). Text © 2023 Fiona Cook. Illustrations © 2023 Jessica Roux 📙 Becca & Bubbe’s Bucket List (Rocky Pond Books). Text © 2026 Laura Gehl. Illustrations © 2026 Sarah Lynn Baker.

Step inside The Carle ✨ There’s no better time to become part of our story. Why become a member today? 🗓️ Enjoy free Museum programming all year long! 📖 Recieve discounts to The Carle Bookshop and select events 🖼 Be among the first to see our latest exhibitions at our Members' Previews 🎨 Support The Carle’s mission of fostering a world where people everywhere experience joy, hope, and understanding through picture book art Tap the link in our bio to join or renew! #EricCarleMuseum #PictureBookArt #WesternMass #Art

Experience the Museum in a whole new light at The Carle After Dark! Starting this November, join us on the first Thursday of every month* (4–8 pm) to enjoy live music, art making, lively performances and activities, and whimsical themed drinks. Each month brings a new theme, from cozy candlelit nights to fairy magic and picture book celebrations. 📆 November 2025–June 2026 *January event will be held on Thursday, Jan 8. ✨ Full schedule + details at the link in our bio! 🎵 Live music sponsored by Northampton Jazz Festival (@northamptonjazzfest ) __ 🎨 Júlia Sardà, Illustration for The Queen in the Cave (Candlewick). Collection of the artist. © 2022 Júlia Sardà. #PictureBookArt #WesternMass #ThingsToDo #EricCarleMuseum

Some picture books stay with you forever 🐂🌼 This week, we met a devoted Ferdinand fan showing off his tattoos alongside the original illustrations in "Under the Cork Tree: The Story of Ferdinand." 🖼️ Visit the exhibition through November 8! Do you have picture book-inspired tattoos, artwork, collections, or memorabilia? DM us for a chance to be featured in a future #FanFriday post! __ 🎨 Robert Lawson, Illustration for The Story of Ferdinand by Munro Leaf, 1936. The Morgan Library & Museum, 1970.16:1-37, Gift of the Mary Flagler Cary Charitable Trust. © 1936 Munro Leaf and Robert Lawson, renewed 1964 Munro Leaf and John W. Boyd. Used by permission of Viking Children’s Books, an imprint of Penguin Young Readers Group, a division of Penguin Random House LLC. All rights reserved.

In honor of Jewish American Heritage Month, we’re highlighting Jewish artists in our collection ✨ 1️⃣ William Steig was the son of Eastern European Jewish immigrants. After a career illustrating for "The New Yorker", he created his first picture book at age 61 and wrote "Shrek!" in his 80s. Did you know “Shrek” comes from the Yiddish word for “terror”? 🎨 𝘚𝘩𝘳𝘦𝘬! (𝘚𝘲𝘶𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘍𝘪𝘴𝘩). 𝘎𝘪𝘧𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘑𝘦𝘢𝘯𝘯𝘦 𝘚𝘵𝘦𝘪𝘨. © 1990 𝘞𝘪𝘭𝘭𝘪𝘢𝘮 𝘚𝘵𝘦𝘪𝘨. 2️⃣ Simms Taback wrote and illustrated over 40 children’s books, many inspired by tales from his Eastern European Jewish heritage, including "Kibitzers and Fools: Tales My Zayda Told Me", a collection of humorous stories. 🎨 𝘒𝘪𝘣𝘪𝘵𝘻𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘍𝘰𝘰𝘭𝘴: 𝘛𝘢𝘭𝘦𝘴 𝘔𝘺 𝘡𝘢𝘺𝘥𝘢 𝘛𝘰𝘭𝘥 𝘔𝘦 (𝘝𝘪𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨). 𝘎𝘪𝘧𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘚𝘪𝘮𝘮𝘴 𝘛𝘢𝘣𝘢𝘤𝘬 & 𝘍𝘢𝘮𝘪𝘭𝘺. © 2005 𝘚𝘪𝘮𝘮𝘴 𝘛𝘢𝘣𝘢𝘤𝘬. 3️⃣ Jane Breskin Zalben’s picture books often explore family and tradition, themes celebrated in her series about Jewish holidays starring a bear named Beni and his family. 🎨 𝘉𝘦𝘯𝘪’𝘴 𝘛𝘪𝘯𝘺 𝘛𝘢𝘭𝘦𝘴: 𝘈𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘠𝘦𝘢𝘳 𝘪𝘯 𝘑𝘦𝘸𝘪𝘴𝘩 𝘏𝘰𝘭𝘪𝘥𝘢𝘺𝘴 (𝘊𝘩𝘳𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘺 𝘖𝘵𝘵𝘢𝘷𝘪𝘢𝘯𝘰 𝘉𝘰𝘰𝘬𝘴) © 2023 𝘑𝘢𝘯𝘦 𝘉𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘬𝘪𝘯 𝘡𝘢𝘭𝘣𝘦𝘯. 4️⃣ Uri Shulevitz fled Poland during World War II before coming to New York. "The Golem" retells the Jewish legend of a clay being brought to life by a rabbi to protect Prague’s Jewish community. 🎨 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘎𝘰𝘭𝘦𝘮 𝘣𝘺 𝘐𝘴𝘢𝘢𝘤 𝘉𝘢𝘴𝘩𝘦𝘷𝘪𝘴 𝘚𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘦𝘳. 𝘎𝘪𝘧𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘌𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘜𝘳𝘪 𝘚𝘩𝘶𝘭𝘦𝘷𝘪𝘵𝘻. © 1982 𝘜𝘳𝘪 𝘚𝘩𝘶𝘭𝘦𝘷𝘪𝘵𝘻. 5️⃣ Margot Zemach illustrated nearly 50 books, many adapting Yiddish and Eastern European folktales, like "It Could Always Be Worse", about a man seeking a rabbi’s advice for his overcrowded home. 🎨 𝘐𝘵 𝘊𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘈𝘭𝘸𝘢𝘺𝘴 𝘉𝘦 𝘞𝘰𝘳𝘴𝘦: 𝘈 𝘠𝘪𝘥𝘥𝘪𝘴𝘩 𝘍𝘰𝘭𝘬𝘵𝘢𝘭𝘦 (𝘚𝘲𝘶𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘍𝘪𝘴𝘩). 𝘎𝘪𝘧𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘔𝘢𝘳𝘨𝘰𝘵 𝘡𝘦𝘮𝘢𝘤𝘩 𝘛𝘳𝘶𝘴𝘵. © 1990 𝘔𝘢𝘳𝘨𝘰𝘵 𝘡𝘦𝘮𝘢𝘤𝘩. Thanks to our neighbors @yiddish_book_center for their work making Yiddish literature accessible to all!

This season, help stories and art continue to grow 🌿 Through June 30, your support of The Carle will go twice as far! Thanks to a generous challenge grant from the Eric and Barbara Carle Foundation, all new gifts, memberships, and increased giving will be matched. Your support helps The Carle: 🖼️ Present inspiring exhibitions and programs for children, families, and adults 📖 Preserve and expand the world’s most significant collection of picture book art 🎨 Support artists, scholars, and educators shaping the future of the field ✨ Share the magic of picture books with communities locally and around the world Thank you for being part of our community 💚 __ 🎨 Eric Carle, Illustration for I See a Song. Collection of the Eric and Barbara Carle Foundation. © 1973 Penguin Random House LLC.

Happy Mother’s Day! 🦒💛 Here’s to the parents, caregivers, and loved ones who stick their necks out for us and help us grow. __ 🎨 Eric Carle, Illustration for Do Bears Have Mothers Too? by Aileen Fisher. Collection of Eric and Barbara Carle. © 1973 Penguin Random House LLC. See less

Something has bloomed at The Carle—come stop and smell the corks! "Under the Cork Tree: The Story of Ferdinand" is officially open! 🎉 Explore the origins and lasting legacy of Ferdinand, a picture book that has never been out of print since 1936. See original artwork, manuscripts, and more. 🌳 In honor of Ferdinand’s favorite spot, you’re invited to sit beneath the shade of our very own cork tree. Swipe to take in the view! 🖼 Curated by Jane Bayard Curley. __ 🎨 Robert Lawson, Illustration for The Story of Ferdinand by Munro Leaf, 1936. The Morgan Library & Museum, 1970.16:1-37, Gift of the Mary Flagler Cary Charitable Trust. © 1936 Munro Leaf and Robert Lawson, renewed 1964 Munro Leaf and John W. Boyd. Used by permission of Viking Children’s Books, an imprint of Penguin Young Readers Group, a division of Penguin Random House LLC. All rights reserved.

Springtime at The Carle means art materials are everywhere you look 🌱🎨 🗓️ Join us for our workshop “Exploring Materials: Mark-Making in Nature!” on Tuesday, May 19 from 6–8 pm. Together, we’ll experiment with drawing games, playful mark-making, and accessible materials inspired by the natural world. No experience necessary! 🎟️ $50 General Admission ($42.50 for Museum members) Register at the link in our bio. 🌿 While you’re here, explore Bobbie’s Meadow to see 100-year-old apple trees in bloom and native New England wildflowers and grasses just beginning to grow for the season.

Celebrate Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander voices with picture books! We’re highlighting books by AANHPI authors and artists, with stories ranging from everyday experiences to fantastical adventures. Explore the full list from The Carle Bookshop at the link in our bio! What AANHPI picture books would you recommend? 📚 __ 📙 Many Things At Once (Random House Studio). Text © 2025 Veera Hiranandani. Illustrations © 2025 Nadia Alam. 📕 Every Peach Is A Story (Abrams Books For Young Readers). Text © 2025 David Mas Masumoto and Nikiko Masumoto. Illustrations © 2025 Lauren Tamaki. 📗 100 Days: A Story of Sisterhood (Farrar, Straus And Giroux). Text © 2025 Kimberly Lee. Illustrations © 2025 Michelle Jing Chan. 📘 A Different Pond (Capstone Young Readers). Text © 2017 Bao Phi. Illustrations © 2017 Thi Bui. 📕 Filo's Butterflies (Hardie Grant Books). Text © 2025 Litea Fuata. Illustrations © 2025 Myo Yim. 📙 Where's Joon? (Little Bigfoot). © 2023 Julie Kim.

It’s Children’s Book Week! 📚💚 In this year’s official poster, Grace Lin illustrated stacks of books featuring familiar titles across generations. “The books not only create an entryway to curiosity but, like the lion, protect it,” she said. In 2013, Grace also created a bookmark for Children’s Book Week. It features her own books and even hides the letters that spell READING—inspired by her love of the hidden image puzzles in Highlights magazine. Just like the books they celebrate, these artworks invite discovery. What hidden surprises can you find? 📗 Learn more about Children’s Book Week and find free resources at everychildareader.net 📖 Visit The Carle Bookshop this week to receive one of the 2026 posters with any in-store purchase, while supplies last! @childrensbookcouncil @everychildareader __ 🎨2️⃣ Grace Lin, Illustration for Children's Book Week bookmark. Collection of the Artist. © 2013 Grace Lin. (@pacylin )

How do you think this photograph was taken? 🤔 Created before digital manipulation, George Ancona captured this scene from "Handtalk Birthday" from above, with the subjects lying on the floor to create the illusion of flight. This image comes from one of four books about sign language that Ancona created with Mary Beth Miller, a teacher and actor with the National Theatre of the Deaf. He considered himself a “people photographer,” and his photographically illustrated books explored a wide range of topics. "The friendship between my father and his subjects is plainly evident in his work," Isabel Ancona writes in our latest blog post. "The photographs have such warmth and familiarity. You can tell that people really trusted Dad." 📝 Read the full story at the link in our bio! 🖼️ See George Ancona’s photographs up close in "CLICK! Photographers Make Picture Books," on view through June 7. __ 📷 George Ancona, Photograph for Handtalk Birthday by Remy Charlip, Mary Beth, and George Ancona (Four Winds Press). Courtesy of George Ancona. © 1987 George Ancona.