Eric Carle

I've read a lot of books to my kids over the last decade. There are some that aren't very good, but you read them repeatedly because your kids like them. There are others that both of you and your kids enjoy, and you're happy when your kids want you to read them. Many of these books were written by and/or illustrated by Eric Carle.

I received a news alert on Wednesday that Carle died at the age of 91. He actually died on Sunday. In this day when news is immediate and instantaneous, it's odd that it took several days for this announcement to go public. When I saw the alert, I said "oh no" out loud because of books like "The Very Hungry Caterpillar," "From Head to Toe," and "Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?" that I've read countless times. When Pedro Tulo was less than two years old, we had difficulty understanding him, and he struggled communicating. He qualified for assistance with a speech pathologist who came to my home once a week and daycare once a week. I clearly remember working with him and the speech pathologist by using Eric Carle books.

Besides the books, The Children's Museum of Pittsburgh had the "Very Eric Carle: A Very Hungry, Quiet, Lonely, Clumsy, Busy Exhibit" for several years. After learning about Carle's death, I found pictures and videos of my kids playing at the exhibit. And by my kids, I definitely mean me too.

While Eric Carle is no longer with us, his books will continue to be kids' and parents' favorites for years to come. Thank you to Mr. Carle for writing and drawing such amazing books!

More about Carle's life is available at NPR and The Washington Post.

Eric Carle photo by Jonathan Wiggs / The Boston Globe via Getty.