Loving Eric Carle

*We're approaching the fiftieth anniversary of the first appearance of "The Very Hungry Caterpillar" (June 3, 1969).

*This book became a bit notorious when George W. Bush cited it as his favorite book of all time, at some point during or near his Presidency. People clutched their pearls. A President who reads children's literature! Shouldn't we be led by someone continuously buried in Proust? Or--I don't know--the works of Thomas Merton?

*I thought people were being ridiculous. Though I'm not wild about Dubyah, I really liked his answer. "Hungry Caterpillar" is a work of art. (And it's interesting that Dubyah has gone on to a life of painting, apparently.)

*Like Dr. Seuss or Chris Van Allsberg, Eric Carle has a gift for "de-familiarizing." He has ideas others do not have. For example: the saga of one tiny caterpillar. Or: big, lush, vibrant, stylish images of leaves, apples, pears, chocolate cake. Any story is a journey story, and the caterpillar's hunger is the thing that leads him on his adventure. Skipping through fields of ice cream, pickles, Swiss cheese. There's an inevitable and stunning climax--and it's a climax provided by nature itself: metamorphosis. We see the result of all that hunger. We have witnessed change over time. A journey from A to Z.

*You don't have to be Proust to tell a good story. Happy Birthday to "The Very Hungry Caterpillar." And a tip of the hat to Eric Carle!

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