About the Author

Bill Martin Jr (Author)
Bill Martin Jr was an American educator, publishing executive, and author of more than 300 children's books including The Sounds of Mystery, Chicka Chicka Boom Boom (co-authored with John Archambault), and Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? The Bill Martin Jr. Award, which is the Kansas state award for best children's picture book, was established in his honor in 1996.

Eric Carle (Illustrator)
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 been translated into 70 languages and sold over 55 million copies. Carle illustrated more than seventy books, many best sellers, most of which he also wrote, and more than 170 million copies of his books have sold around the world. In 2003, Carle received the Laura Ingalls Wilder Award (now called the Children's Literature Legacy Award) for lifetime achievement in children's literature. In 2002, Eric and his wife, Barbara, cofounded The Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art (www.carlemuseum.org) in Amherst, Massachusetts, a 40,000-square-foot space dedicated to the celebration of picture books and picture book illustrations from around the world, underscoring the cultural, historical, and artistic significance of picture books and their art form. Eric Carle passed away in May 2021 at the age of 91. His work remains an important influence on artists and illustrators at work today. www.eric-carle.com

Reviews

Carle's books all have an educational element - they teach about animals, numbers, colours and nature - but a big part of their appeal is that they are not didactic or laboured, but light and entertaining. There's warmth and humour there too Junior Eric Carle ... has an unfailing magic. His gentle, glowing collages are satisfying for parent and child The Times

Carle's books all have an educational element - they teach about animals, numbers, colours and nature - but a big part of their appeal is that they are not didactic or laboured, but light and entertaining. There's warmth and humour there too Junior Eric Carle ... has an unfailing magic. His gentle, glowing collages are satisfying for parent and child The Times

PreS-Gr 1-While some adults may sigh at the similarity of this title to Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? (1983) and Polar Bear, Polar Bear, What Do You Hear? (1995, both Holt), children will be thrilled. A water buffalo, a green sea turtle, a black panther, and other animals answer that familiar call, "What do you see?" Readers view all these creatures and more, a treat considering that the 10 animals featured are all endangered species and therefore rare sights. The book closes wistfully with a dreaming child who sees the animals all "wild and free." Names like "macaroni penguin" contribute to some awkwardness in the text's rhythm, but the bright collage images and lilting language bring the animals to life on the page-soaring, swinging, or even strutting. Opening with a helpful note on the importance of animal protection, this title will make a perfect segue into conversations about endangered species.-Julie Roach, Malden Public Library, MA Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information.