Friends by Eric Carle

Friends by Eric Carle

Rating: 3.5 stars

Should children's books (specifically, picture books) end with the two characters getting married?

This is the question that is bouncing around my head.  My star rating is arbitrary.  What's more important: will this book provide an interesting, worthwhile conversation between my children and myself?

I'm getting ahead of myself--it's something I do so very well, it's hard not to do!  But let me explain this new Eric Carle book to you, in case you've not seen it before…

With minimal words and bright, welcoming illustrations on big, oversized pages, Eric Carle introduces a simple friendship between a boy and a girl.  The boy, who also serves as the narrator, has a good friend.  They do everything together!  They play together!  They dance together!  They hold hands, they tell each other secrets.  They are best friends.

Then, suddenly, the girl disappears.  The reader is not told why; for better or for worse, we're left to guess.

"…and they got married."

And the boy-narrator decides: he must find her.  The biggest chunk of the book illustrates his search--he climbs tall mountains, swims through cold rivers, gazes up at the starry night skies actively searching for his long, lost friend.  He walks across a field of flowers and must sense her prescience because the bouquet he gathers up in this pretty field is given…to her.

And then they get married.  (Okay, as you can see from the picture, they are still kids and are wearing dress-up clothes.  But STILL!)

Hmm.  I would have been happier without that final page.  But wait: is this book written not for 4-6 year olds but 40-60 year olds?  Do I want Lorelei and Ben to Kiefer to look at their pals today and say to them, also today, "I'm going to marry you!"  That sort of schoolyard talk is already present, I guess.  Do I want to add to it?  Or should I start the conversation about what sort of mate they should look for?

A friend is a very good start, indeed.  I read a book last year that urged us parents (especially us children of divorce who are now parents) to start talking with their kids early about what sort of person makes a good friend.  And to urge those kids to choose deliberately when they choose a friend.  What I tell my kids is this: Choose a person who makes you laugh, who is kind to you, who genuinely cares for you--not just your physical whereabouts like the boy in Friends but also if you're happy or sad, and what you want to be when you grow up.

Tricky business, this friend-finding and partner-pairing.  I guess starting earlier is better.

But maybe we could wait for the tween years (at least!) to begin talk of the whole wedding day with the poofy white dress?

The Mixed-Up Chameleon by Eric Carle

The Mixed-Up Chameleon by Eric Carle

Rating: 4 stars

Another chameleon book today...  And, like the other chameleons, this one is having an identity crisis with some pretty silly results.  This chameleon's life simply involves changing colors and eating bugs.

"That was his life.  It was not very exciting."

But one day, this chameleon happened upon a zoo and added some excitement into his life.  He wished to change not just his color but also his shape...  And his wish is granted!  After he wishes for several attributes of other animals, he looks pretty funny indeed: he has deer antlers, a fox tail, fish fins, and flamingo feet.  Lorelei and Ben howl at how crazy he looks!

And then, when he's totally mixed-up, he gets hungry.  Uh-oh.  And he realizes that he no longer has the ability to catch flies.  How's a guy to eat??  So he wishes himself back to normal again, catches a fly, and is happy to be just...himself.

Makes me think...what is that line in the Sheryl Crow song?  "It's not having what you want, it's wanting what you've got..."

1, 2, 3 to the Zoo by Eric Carle

1, 2, 3 to the Zoo by Eric Carle

Rating: 4 stars

We didn't leave Kiefer out of the library book-fest (this time).  He, too, got a zoo book.  This one, by the wonderful Eric Carle, is  totally right for him at 13 months.  There are no words--just huge, bright pictures of elephants and giraffe and lions and seals.

Each animal rides in his own train car, packed with others of his kind.  At the bottom of each page the train cars get added, one by one, so that I can remind Kiefer of the numbers of this animal or that when we get to a new one.  Each animal also gets his own excited yell from Kiefer, who seems to like dogs the best but...jury really is still out as communication is, well, limited.

We have had the puzzle version of this book--the first four animals--for a few years, so it was a fun surprise when Ben opened the book for the first time and realized that.  The puzzles have brought us a lot of quality play (I often take them to restaurants as they are small but there are four of them).

At the zoo yesterday we did a counting game--we wondered which animal was there the most of?  (That seems so grammatically wrong...hmmm...)  The answer?  18 turtles, seen the first 10 minutes of our time there!

Beth's Post: The Tiny Seed by Eric Carle

The Tiny Seed by Eric Carle

Rating: 5 stars

Eric Carle is a master at combining beautiful illustrations with thoughtful stories and subtlety engaging children in life science subjects.


Our copy of The Tiny Seed is worn with years of reading, the binding taped in several spots and a bold, “JULIA” written in the first page to mark that we are never, ever getting rid of this book. My kids loved looking at the pictures and were mesmerized by the story as toddlers, pages were used with tracing paper to copy the trees and flowers, and now that they are great readers they still love picking it up and reading it to me.

A tiny seed, smaller than any of the others blows with the strong Autumn wind and flies by the sun, over icy mountains, the ocean, the desert and drops down to a perfect grassy spot only to narrowly avoid being eaten by a bird. It rests in the soil through the long winter nights, and grows to astounding heights in the spring. In the end, autumn again, it releases its tiny seeds in the wind.

I hope that you will get to experience this beautiful book, but you can’t have our copy, we’re still reading it.

10 Little Rubber Ducks by Eric Carle

10 Little Rubber Ducks by Eric Carle

Rating: 5 stars

This is a great book, but it was made even greater because it was given to Lorelei and Ben from their beloved Grammy. And, what's even greatest of all, was that it came in the mail. A package! In the mailbox! For them! Hurrah for the old-fashioned postal system! This book appeared in our mailbox last year, just a few days before we drove down to the beach, and we read it at least five times a day--in the house, on the deck, on the beach, and of course many times in the car during the looooong car drive. (Who takes pictures of themselves while reading? Yup, we do.)

As with other Eric Carle books, this one does so much! It's a great story--just a simple tale, and based on a true story! Ten little rubber ducks get thrown overboard and they drift ten different ways, meeting ten different animals. The book has its own little rhythm to it that makes the words easy to remember; Lorelei memorized the book within a few days. It is definitely a "counting book" but also introduces or reinforces--depending on where your child is--sequential counting (first, second, third, etc). And the animals are all sea creatures--dolphins leaping out of the water, huge sea turtles, giant whales, and flying pelicans. It is a GREAT book, perfect for anytime or for a trip to the beach.

The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle

The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle

Rating: 5 stars (of course)

I realize that reviewing this book is downright silly. OF COURSE it's one of the best children's books ever written. OF COURSE it makes me realize why I'm typing words about books rather than writing them. Authors like Eric Carle make me realize just how talented the good authors are. It's humbling, really. This book is just fantastic.

I had to add it to my blog because my wonderful neighbor hadn't ever read it (!!!!!) until she borrowed our copy. Of course it came back completely loved, meaning with its binding out of whack and some of the pages peeling off of the cardboard on which it was pasted. I took it as a compliment. This book should be required reading for infants. Is there such a thing? There should be.

Here are some of the things that impress me each and every time I read this, which is a lot--it is one of the books we rarely leave at home when we travel. (Right now it sits in my son's pack and play in his room at our rented beach house, waiting for bedtime along with his blankie and two "loveys.") Ok, that list of things I love:
- Carle shows us a great variety of fruit, and then all the fun junk food (pickles and ice cream!) on the next page
- Carle includes the days of the weeks for older kids like Lorelei, who likes to spot them when she reads
- Carle has a good time with a caterpillar, which is actually questionably cute (in just 6 weeks our back deck will be CRAWLING with them. One = cute, 351,958 = gross)
- Carle puts holes in the book! Holes! The man is genius! What little 6 month old or 15 month old doesn't love to put his chunky little fingers into the hole, pressing it as far as it will, only to have his parent put her finger on the other side and tickle it just a bit!??!?!! Holes! All books should have holes like this. It would make the selection for the Caldecott a lot easier.

That's it. I mean, who's not read this book and loved it? If you've not, you're missing out. If you're a grandparent or fairy godmother looking for a gift, buy the big ol' one with the toy caterpillar that you can move through the holes. I think I might ask for it from Santa this year.