Eric Carle Books – a Preschool Necessity

One of the most iconic preschool authors, Eric Carle has won over 100 awards for his uniquely illustrated books. He illustrated over 70 books in his lifetime, most of which he also wrote. The best known of all Eric Carle books, The Very Hungry Caterpillar, has been translated into 70 languages and sold over 55 million copies…and counting! Sadly, this beloved author passed away in May of 2021, at the age of 91. His books create a legacy that continues to inspire children, artists, and teachers alike. Here are some of the best Eric Carle books for the preschool classroom, along with fun activities to continue the learning after storytime is over!

Carle’s books are perfect because of their predictable text. Students can join along and repeat the chorus over and over again. Repetition is essential for emergent literacy learners as they start to develop concept of word, word recognition, and more!

Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?

A parade of brightly colored animals dances across the pages of this beloved book. Written in collaboration with Bill Martin Jr. (author of more preschool favorites like Chicka Chicka Boom Boom), the repeating text and rollicking rhythm appeals to students almost as much as the paint-and-collage style pictures. Perfect for a unit on animals, colors, or just because!

Extending the Learning: Review colors with this fun color theory painting activity after reading this book!

Do You Want to be My Friend?

This wordless picture book follows the “tail” of a little mouse looking for a new friend. Even though there are no words, students delight in guessing the next animal from the tail showing on the page. Don’t worry – in the end, the little mouse finds a great new friend too!

Extending the Learning: Explore more wordless picture books in the classroom library and watch students make up their own stories!

The Grouchy Ladybug

Sometimes a bug just wakes up on the wrong side of the bed. This grouchy ladybug wants to fight someone, anyone, and spends a whole day grumpily challenging different animals to fight, then proclaiming, “Ah, you weren’t worth fighting anyway.” By the end of the day, the ladybug finally gets what it’s been asking for the whole day.

Extending the Learning: In the top corner of the pages, there is a clock showing the time mentioned in the text. Students can use a clock toy like this one to match up the times and begin learning how to read an analog clock while exploring the book.

From Head to Toe

This book is PERFECT for wiggly preschoolers! Every page has an animal, in Carle’s trademarked collage style, asking readers if they can bend, move, turn and jump too! The repeating text, “I can do it!” is something students shout with enthusiasm when reading this book.

Extending the Learning: Get even more wiggles out with some of these classic movement songs for early learners!

• Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes by The Wiggles
• Tooty Ta by Dr. Jean
• Song in my Tummy by the Laurie Berkner Band
• Freeze Dance
• Shake your Sillies Out
• Hokey Pokey
• My Energy by the Laurie Berkner Band

Mister Seahorse

Students get to go on an aquatic adventure in this award-winning book! Mr. Seahorse is taking care of his eggs. As he drifts along, he meets other ocean dads taking care of their young.

Extending the Learning: Use watercolors to paint a beautiful seascape collage.

Bonus idea!: Have a dad from the class come in to read this to the students!

Polar Bear, Polar Bear, What Do You Hear?

A companion book for Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?, this fun story visits zoo animals and all the interesting noises they make. Excellent for expanding vocabulary in a fun way, this book is a classic. Don’t miss the third “bear” book, Panda Bear, Panda Bear, What Do You See? to make the fun nearly un”bear”able!

Extending the Learning: This book concentrates on different animal sounds. Play this fun sound guessing game to continue to learn about the sense of hearing.

A very determined little spider lands on a fence at a farm. Despite many animals stopping by to entice the spider to participate in different activities, she keeps working on her web. Ultimately, her web ends up helping rid the barnyard of a pesky fly! In most book printings, the web is raised so students can explore it with their fingers.

Extending the Learning: Explore the amazing world of spiders with any of these twelve fun spider-themed activities!

The Very Hungry Caterpillar

If there are only funds in the budget for one of the Eric Carle books, this is the one to get. Probably the most iconic of all of Carle’s works, the story is simple. A tiny caterpillar hatches and looks for food. It tries many different things, even overeating at a picnic, ending in a tummyache. The caterpillar then discovers the food it should be eating and grows big and strong. The ending page has a gorgeous butterfly that continues to wow students again and again.

Extending the Learning: This book is a favorite of teachers for a reason! Perfect for learning about the days of the week, nutrition, counting, and science, there are any number of activities that can go along with this book. Try a Very Hungry Caterpillar Picnic where students taste all of the foods mentioned in the book (remember, as with all food activities, check for allergies first!). Use fruit-shaped counters at the math center to practice counting. Or enjoy some extra name practice with this adorable caterpillar name activity!

More Eric Carle Book Resources and Ideas

Try some other fun Eric Carle books in the classroom as well! Find the list on the official website here.

Explore Carle’s well-known paint-and-collage art method in the classroom. Students explore different brushes, textures, and colors by freely painting on large pieces of paper. When the paper is dry, provide scissors and glue for students to create their own art!

Display an enticing Eric Carle book display in the classroom for students to interact and enjoy the books on their own or with friends.

And of course, if the traveling World of Eric Carle exhibit visits a museum nearby, a field trip is definitely worth it!

Have fun playing and learning – and exploring the world of Eric Carle – with your students!