Little Cloud - Hardcover

Carle, Eric

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0399230343 ISBN 13: 9780399230349

Publisher: World of Eric Carle, 1996

Synopsis

At last! Here's a brand-new board book edition of an Eric Carle picture book that's a favorite with littlest cloud gazers everywhere! Little Cloud likes to stand out from the crowd. When all the other clouds drift up, he goes his own way, changing shapes to become a sheep, an airplane, a shark and a funny clown. It's all lots of fun, but so is playing with friends. So this time, Little Cloud joins the crowd, gathering with his pals into one giant cloud. And then they rain! In Little Cloud, Eric Carle celebrates the possibilities of imagination with textured collages of sky-blue and white in a story that will encourage the youngest child to read clouds. Eric Carle lives in Northampton and Charlemont, MA.

About this title

About the Author:

Eric Carle is acclaimed and beloved as the creator of brilliantly illustrated and innovatively designed picture books for very young children. His best-known work, The Very Hungry Caterpillar, has eaten its way into the hearts of literally millions of children all over the world and has been translated into more than 25 languages and sold over twelve million copies. Since the Caterpillar was published in 1969, Eric Carle has illustrated more than sixty books, many best sellers, most of which he also wrote.

Born in Syracuse, New York, in 1929, Eric Carle moved with his parents to Germany when he was six years old; he was educated there, and graduated from the prestigious art school, the Akademie der bildenden Kunste, in Stuttgart. But his dream was always to return to America, the land of his happiest childhood memories. So, in 1952, with a fine portfolio in hand and forty dollars in his pocket, he arrived in New York. Soon he found a job as a graphic designer in the promotion department of The New York Times. Later, he was the art director of an advertising agency for many years.

One day, respected educator and author, Bill Martin Jr, called to ask Carle to illustrate a story he had written. Martin's eye had been caught by a striking picture of a red lobster that Carle had created for an advertisement. Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? was the result of their collaboration. It is still a favorite with children everywhere. This was the beginning of Eric Carle's true career. Soon Carle was writing his own stories, too. His first wholly original book was 1,2,3 to the Zoo, followed soon afterward by the celebrated classic, The Very Hungry Caterpillar.

Eric Carle's art is distinctive and instantly recognizable. His art work is created in collage technique, using hand-painted papers, which he cuts and layers to form bright and cheerful images. Many of his books have an added dimension - die-cut pages, twinkling lights as in The Very Lonely Firefly, even the lifelike sound of a cricket's song as in The Very Quiet Cricket - giving them a playful quality: a toy that can be read, a book that can be touched. Children also enjoy working in collage and many send him pictures they have made themselves, inspired by his illustrations. He receives hundreds of letters each week from his young admirers. The secret of Eric Carle's books' appeal lies in his intuitive understanding of and respect for children, who sense in him instinctively someone who shares their most cherished thoughts and emotions.

The themes of his stories are usually drawn from his extensive knowledge and love of nature - an interest shared by most small children. Besides being beautiful and entertaining, his books always offer the child the opportunity to learn something about the world around them. It is his concern for children, for their feelings and their inquisitiveness, for their creativity and their intellectual growth that, in addition to his beautiful artwork, makes the reading of his books such a stimulating and lasting experience.

Carle says: "With many of my books I attempt to bridge the gap between the home and school. To me home represents, or should represent; warmth, security, toys, holding hands, being held. School is a strange and new place for a child. Will it be a happy place? There are new people, a teacher, classmates - will they be friendly? I believe the passage from home to school is the second biggest trauma of childhood; the first is, of course, being born. Indeed, in both cases we leave a place of warmth and protection for one that is unknown. The unknown often brings fear with it. In my books I try to counteract this fear, to replace it with a positive message. I believe that children are naturally creative and eager to learn. I want to show them that learning is really both fascinating and fun."

copyright © 2000 by Penguin Group (USA) Books for Young Readers. All rights reserved.

From Publishers Weekly:

A minor addition to Carle's lengthy list of child-captivating titles, this lean tale introduces a cloud that changes itself into a handful of shapes. Calling upon memories of objects it has seen, Little Cloud becomes a plane, a shark, trees, a rabbit and a clown before rejoining its peers. At this point they do what clouds are apt to do when they get together: "Then all the clouds changed into one big cloud and rained!" Popping out from a textured background of rich turquoise, Carle's luminous collage art features broad, swirling strokes reminiscent of fingerpainting. As minimalist as the text, these images may well inspire kids to cast more creative glances at the sky. Although the conceit is imaginative, the execution lacks the inventiveness and extra sparkle of such Carle classics as the "Very" quartet. Ages 2-6.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.

About this edition

• Publisher: World of Eric Carle
• Publication date: 1996
• ISBN 10: 0399230343
• ISBN 13: 9780399230349
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 32