My Burns Park Elementary School second-graders were ready for class to begin when I held up Eric Carle’s "The Very Hungry Caterpillar." Before I could get a word out, one of the students shouted “I have that book at home!” Carle’s books are popular, and his artwork is undeniably recognizable. He inspires the passion for books we hope to see in our own children.

When I began my author and illustrator unit study of him earlier this month, many students were already familiar with his work. I held up copies of "Have You Seen My Cat?" and "Mr. Seahorse" to shouts of “I know that one” or “We read that.” I held up copies of "The Mixed-up Chameleon" and "A House for Hermit Crab" to cries of “Oooh, I love that one!” and “We have that in our classroom.”

I knew how they felt. I remember reading "The Very Hungry Caterpillar" over and over with my brother. We loved to stick our fingers in the hole where the caterpillar went through each page and to pretend that we could eat all the delicious foods on his last day of gluttony.

Second-grade student Ian Figueroa concentrates on his Eric Carle-inspired collage.

When I held up "The Very Busy Spider", all the students wanted to feel the pages where the spider’s web is raised from the page. Some of Eric Carle’s books come with the added feature of sound. "Dream Snow" and "The Very Quiet Cricket" either chirp or play music when the reader reaches the end of the book. In our library, like most settings where books are well-loved, the mechanism on our copies no longer works.

In my class, we learn about Eric Carle, the man and writer. The Official Eric Carle Web Site is filled with tons of biographical information, a list of Carle’s books, and other links. It is fascinating to watch slideshows of how he makes his tissue papers or creates his pictures. Particularly interesting to my students are the photos of his childhood. You can even watch a video of Carle reading "The Very Hungry Caterpillar." There are also links to the Carle Museum of Picture Book Art in Massachusetts.

In collaboration with our art teacher, Kate Higgins, the second-graders at Burns Park are further introduced to Carle and his unique style of illustration. They create their own tissue papers and collages, just like the artist they are trying to emulate. Each student imagines a creature that is “very” something, just like Carle’s hungry caterpillar or busy spider or quiet cricket. The results are spectacular.

A sample of finished "very" projects.

When I told the students that they’d be learning more about Carle in art class, some got a thoughtful look on their faces. They began guessing the connection. When they realized that they were going to learn more about Carle's collage style and have the opportunity to try to make collages like him, their faces broke into huge grins and they applauded. Every year I promise I am going to record this moment ... next year for sure!

Rachel Erdstein is the media specialist at Burns Park Elementary. She loves to read and share her love of reading with her students. She can be reached at rachelerdstein@gmail.com.