Saturday, May 26, through Sunday, September 9
Family Museum, 2900 Learning Campus Drive, Bettendorf IA
One of the most popular and successful children's-book authors of all time – along with many of his beloved animal, bird, and insect friends – will be celebrated in a new Family Museum exhibition opening May 26, as the Bettendorf venue hosts the touring family delight Very Eric Carle: A Very Hungry, Quiet, Lonely, Clumsy, Busy Exhibit.
Born in 1929, children's-book writer, illustrator, and designer Carle is probably best known for 1969's A Very Hungry Caterpillar, a picture book that has been translated into more than 62 languages and has sold more than 46 million copies worldwide. Since its publication, Carle has also illustrated more than 70 additional books, most of which he also wrote, with global sales of more than 145 million copies. He won the biennial Laura Ingalls Wilder Award in 2003 for his career contribution to American children's literature, and for his contributions as a children's illustrator, Carle was the United States' nominee for the international Hans Christian Andersen Award in 2010.
At the play-and-learn Very Eric Carle exhibit, Family Museum visitors will step into the pages of Carle’s colorful picture books, and his classic “Very” series, with all of its book illustrated in Carle's hand-painted tissue-paper-collage technique, introduces five special insects who take journeys of discovery. Each story is a testament to Carle’s love of nature, his respect for the emotional lives of children, and his recurring themes of friendship, creativity, and the power of imagination. Consequently, in this special attraction, museum guests are invited to become the Very Hungry Caterpillar as they follow his path; weave a web with the Very Busy Spider; find their light with the Very Lonely Firefly; make the Very Clumsy Click Beetle flip and jump; compose a night symphony with the Very Quiet Cricket; create artwork using many of Carle’s materials and techniques; and enjoy a gallery of prints from Carle’s “Very” book series.
Very Eric Carle: A Very Hungry, Quiet, Lonely, Clumsy, Busy Exhibit will be on display through September 9 before continuing its expected 10-year tour as a traveling exhibition, and entrace to the exhibit is free with $5-9 admission. Regular museum hours are 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Mondays through Thursdays, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays, and noon to 5 p.m. on Sundays, and more information is available by calling (563)344-4106 or visiting FamilyMuseum.org.
