Publisher Description

From bestselling author and illustrator Eric Carle, the creator of The Very Hungry Caterpillar, comes another classic tale about one very quiet cricket. A perfect gift to share with the child or grandchild in your life.

One day a tiny cricket is born and meets a big cricket who chirps his welcome. The tiny cricket tries to respond, but there is no sound. The quiet cricket then makes his way into the world, meeting one insect after another, each of whom greets the little cricket with a cheery hello--the hum of a bee, the whirr of a dragonfly, the whisper of a praying mantis. The cricket rubs his wings together each time, but nothing happens, not a sound. Until the day he meets another cricket, a female, and something different happens . . .

As children turn the page on this wonderful moment, they are greeted with a surprise--an actual chirp!

Full of Eric Carle's gorgeous and lush collage art, a gentle rhythmic text for read-alouds, and a wonder-inducing surprise at the end, The Very Quiet Cricket remains an all-time favorite from one of the true masters of picture-book are replaceable. Please use two 1.5 volt L1131 button cell batteries.

Praise for The Very Quiet Cricket:

"Typical of Carle's style, the language is simple, with rhythm, repetition, and alliteration to delight young listeners. Painted collage illustrations are lavish and expressive."--School Library Journal
 
"The text is skillfully shaped; the illustrations convey energy and immediacy."--Horn Book

"As usual, Carle's art is lovely and his story is simple and satisfying."--Publishers Weekly

"Carle's signature style ensures that this is a visual standout, and storywise it's appealing, too....The spare text is structured by repetitive phrasing that will lend itself to read-aloud responses."--Booklist

Flap

One day a tiny cricket is born and meets a big cricket who chirps his welcome. The tiny cricket tries to respond, but there is not a sound. And so the quiet cricket makes his way in the world, meeting one insect after another who greets the cricket with the cheery hello of its species-the hum of the bee, the whirr of the dragonfly, the screech of the cicada. Finally it matures and meets a female cricket who evokes from the quiet cricket "the most beautiful sound that she had ever heard!" As with The Very Hungry Caterpillar and The Very Busy Spider, this is a multi-sensory book; it is also multi-experiential. Children will see the bold, colorful, textured art that is Eric Carle's; they will hear or read the rhythmic, frequently alliterative text; and finally hear the quiet cricket's sweet song as they turn the last pages of the book. This is a book to share. The repetitive text is easily learned, and the echoing answer to the cricket's search for his song can be the children's answer in a voice-and-response game. Listening to or reading this story, children will also learn about the various animals the cricket meets. All readers, even the smallest, will delight in the surprise at the end of the book, and in knowing that even the lowliest creature will find its voice, as silent or joyous as that may be. The much-loved artist Eric Carle was born in Syracuse, New York, and went with his family to live in Germany while still a child. He studied art and design there as a young man. While pursuing a career in commercial art in the United States, Mr. Carle was asked to illustrate a picture-book story and was soon inspired to create books of his own, one of the first of which was The Very Hungry Caterpillar. Mr. Carle believes learning should be a joyful and thoughtful experience. The Caterpillar teaches the days of the week, counting, and metamorphosis. "But ultimately the story is about hope: every living thing will grow up, be beautiful, and unfold its talent." The tactile The Very Busy Spider is "about barnyard animals and sounds, and how a spider builds a web. But the story's true emotional impact reaches deeper": it is about useful work and its reward. In The Very Quiet Cricket Mr. Carle chooses a lowly insect as the hero, but beyond the simple story of a cricket finding his voice, it is a story "about love and the survival of all living things-crickets and humankind." Mr. Carle's fascination with the animal world was inspired by his father. When the artist was a young boy, the two would take walks through the meadows and woods and his father would point out the small wonders of nature. Eric Carle remembers these times fondly, and through his books he hopes to honor his father and pass on some of the wonder and happiness of his childhood to his readers.

Review

Praise for The Very Quiet Cricket:

"Typical of Carle's style, the language is simple, with rhythm, repetition, and alliteration to delight young listeners. Painted collage illustrations are lavish and expressive."--School Library Journal
 
"The text is skillfully shaped; the illustrations convey energy and immediacy."--Horn Book

"As usual, Carle's art is lovely and his story is simple and satisfying."--Publishers Weekly

"Carle's signature style ensures that this is a visual standout, and storywise it's appealing, too....The spare text is structured by repetitive phrasing that will lend itself to read-aloud responses."--Booklist

Prizes

Winner of Children's Book Award.

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