Sad news: Eric Carle has passed away. He’s the author and illustrator behind scores of colorful, beloved children’s books including the all-time classic The Very Hungry Caterpillar.
His family announced that Carle passed peacefully at age 91 on May 23, surrounded by loved ones in his summer studio in Massachusetts. In the course of his life, Carle illustrated more than 70 books for kids and churned out multiple hits in collaboration or solo: Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? The Very Busy Spider and From Head to Toe. Carle’s distinctive style stands out on any shelf and more than 152 million copies of his book have been sold around the world.
The son of German immigrants, Carle graduated from a prestigious art school in Stuttgart before returning to the U.S. to work as a graphic designer for The New York Times, then an art director for an advertising agency. He used collage technique to illustrate, with layers of hand-painted papers. Many of his books have nature themes and give children the chance to learn about the world around them.
On his website the family wrote: “In the light of the moon, holding on to a good star, a painter of rainbows is now traveling across the night sky.”
You can visit the Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art in Amherst, Massachusetts, a museum founded by Carle and his second wife, Barbara. Carle is survived by his sister and two adult children.
—Sarah Shebek
Featured image: Image credit Manas K / Shutterstock.com
I never had that feeling in life that I truly fit in or I was doing what I was supposed to be doing. What was my purpose in life? They say we all have a purpose here on Earth. What is mine? What was I supposed to be doing?
From early on, starting in grade school, I always felt like the odd man out. I got along with everyone, but I felt like I was not truly included or welcomed like some of the other kids. At birthday parties I felt alone. I watched other kids clicking more and meshing with one another. Not me. I knew I wasn’t truly in the group. I would sit there and feel uncomfortable and want to run out the door as quickly as possible. I wanted to go home.
Even up through high school I felt this way. I grew up in a small Midwest town where everyone knew everyone’s business. Again, I got along with pretty much everybody but it still wasn’t a good feeling. I started to skip school and miss a lot of my classes. I got off track and felt even more lost and alone.
Years later, I went to nursing school and at age 37 I started my new career. I became a Registered Nurse and worked in the ICU. I love what I do, and at that time I still couldn’t think of anything I’d rather be doing.
But guess what??!!! That all changed once my twins were born.
I loved being a mother but I still wanted to work and have a career. But then my son got diagnosed with autism at age 3. Then I knew, this was it. This was my purpose. My thing in life was to be there for my son. I was the one for him. He was the one for me. I was always a stubborn person and a little set in my ways. I was never one to back down from a good fight. What a perfect fit I was, to have an autistic child.
There are many battles a parent of an autistic child must fight. My personality would help my son to get the best in life. I would fight for him tooth and nail for everything. I wouldn’t rest until he got what he deserved. I believed in him and I fought hard. I would fight any battle for him. He is my purpose.
I fought to get my son services and therapy to help him grow. I went toe-to-toe with the school district, one of our biggest battles. They wanted to put my son in a severe classroom. I knew that was not where he needed to be. A parent knows what’s best for their child. They live with their child, and see them every day and night. How could strangers know what’s best for my son? I fought like a mama bear fights for her cub. I won and got my son the education he deserved, and he is doing very well. I finally have some of the school team on our side now. They see the potential and skill set my son has. He is unbelievably smart and knows so much more than people give him credit for. I believed in him and always will.
I will always go to battle for this kid. I will never let anyone tell me that my son can’t do something when I know he can. Parents, we are our children’s biggest advocates. Your child has rights and you as parents do as well. Don’t give in to what someone says. Go with your gut instinct and go to battle. Never let go of the dreams and hopes you have for your child. You will win!!
Wendy Robles lives in California with her husband and twins. She's an ICU Registered Nurse, she advocates for her patients and her son who is on the autism spectrum. Through her blog she tells her experiences of raising a child on the spectrum, the good and the ugly.
Social-emotional learning is crucial for well-being, from forming solid relationships and self-esteem to decision making and beyond. When it comes to recognizing the importance of mental health, we as adults have taken a huge step in the right direction, from mindfulness to meditation. So, how can we help our kids learn positive ways of managing their experiences and expressing their emotions? Read on for our list of favorite books to help kids (and parents) with social-emotional learning!
Mel Fell is a charming and innovative read about a scrappy little bird, from the award-winning author-illustrator of Fox the Tiger. Turn this book sideways and upside down to follow Mel on her journey from downward fall to triumphant flight in this tale of self-confidence and taking a leap of faith. Mel's unwavering spirit encourages kids to feel brave and go for it, eventually soaring—even if they fall down first.
Each finger has it's very own name like thumb and index, but the poor toes don't! The big toe wants to be called A, but not everyone agrees with the alphabet theme. The second toe argues they should go for numbers, while the last toe prefers fruits! How on earth will they resolve their disagreement? By working together, listening to one another and compromising, of course! In this imaginative and colorful board book, kids will learn how to celebrate their uniqueness all while learning about concepts like letters, numbers, music notes, colors, and fruits.
Father-daughter time shines in this irresistible story about creativity, solving problems and looking on the bright side when faced with obstacles. An expressive picture book about resilience and the power of imagination, it's a perfect read-aloud for rainy days...or any day you’re stuck at home!
With breakfast finished, an energetic young girl is ready to play. But it’s raining, and Dad says that she must stay inside. So, she crafts and she builds, she draws and she bakes. What else can she do to find the sunny side of a rainy day?
This book brilliantly encourages kids to use creativity to overcome challenges, keeping the gloomies at bay, any day!
Kids experience anxiety and can feel overwhelmed just like we do. This colorful picture book serves as both a story and a step-by-step guide to help kids help themselves. Ollie is the puppy living inside of the narrator's head, and when Ollie panics or is too energetic, the narrator feels that way, too! Our hero learns to handle the situation with her breath and her mindfulness, and by talking it out with an adult. Puppy in My Head is a compassionate book that will leave young readers a little more well-equipped to handle the puppies in their own heads.
You know what a staycation is—but have you heard about the toe-dip trip? According to the vacay experts at Travelocity, a toe-dip trip is the shorter getaway you take to build back your travel confidence levels.
The pandemic put your extended travel plans on hold. Nearly a year later, you’re ready to get back in the swing of things. At least, you’re maybe, sort of, kind of ready.
Safety is key and you may not be 100 percent ready to schedule a major family vacation yet. Don’t stress. Here’s where the toe-dip trip comes in. Think of travel as a big, kind of cold swimming pool. You don’t want to dive in with wild abandon. At the same time, you really, really want to go for a swim. Instead of cannonball-ing or swan diving in, you dip a toe into the water. The toe-dip trip follows the same principle. Start small, build your confidence, and wait until you’re ready.
Melissa Dohmen, travel expert from Travelocity, explained the toe-dip trip in a press release, “We may be dreaming of that big bucket list trip, but what travelers are actually planning so far this year are visits to familiar destinations nearby, weekend getaways or road trips and beach trips.”
If you’re not sure where to go on your toe-dip trip, the pros at Travelcity note the some of most popular picks for families in 2021 include Orlando, Las Vegas, Lake Tahoe, Big Bear, Lake Havasu City, Oklahoma, Columbus, Indianapolis, and Kansas City.
Native Shoes is partnering with Disney for a completely cute collab. The brand new collection features a fab footwear line for adults and kids!
The Disney x Native shoes collection is packed with playful prints and your fave film characters, including Mickey and Minnie. This means your entire family will have plenty of playful picks to choose from.
If you’re new to Native Shoes, the fab footwear brand’s motto is “Live Lightly.” This philosophy goes well beyond the feel of the brand’s footwear. Native Shoes are innovative in design and sustainable too.
Collection highlights include the adults’ Jefferson style and the equally adorable version for the kiddos. The shock-absorbent slip-on shoes are odor resistant, hand washable, and come with a durable rubber toe. The adult’s Jefferson is available in sizes ranging from a women’s five to a men’s 12 with an all-over Mickey print set against a dramatic black background and a sweet red Minnie Mouse design.
The child-sized Jefferson shoe option comes in sizes five through juniors’ three and features a red Minnie Mouse design and a white Mickey Mouse pick.
The Disney x Native shoes collection is available online at ShopDisney.com ($44.99 for children’s sizes and $54.99), Walt Disney World Resort and Downtown Disney District at Disneyland Resort. Children’s sizes are available for purchase right now. Adult sizes are currently available for pre-order.
Reebok, in partnership with DreamWorks Animation and Universal Brand Development has officially unveiled its Reebok x Kung Fu Panda footwear and apparel collection. The line features a range of pieces for everyone from toddlers to adults. The collection is available globally from Reebok.com beginning Jan. 8 before its wider release on Jan. 15 from select local retailers, in time for the Lunar New Year.
Instapump Fury “Dragon Warrior”
Reebok
Instapump Fury “Dragon Warrior” features a furry suede upper with dragon graphic on top, a textile Pump bladder and pull tabs nodding to his iconic patchwork shorts, a collar lining that ties back to his belt and waist band, asymmetric Pump ball noodle and dragon graphics, a sockliner design paying homage to fortune cookies and Po’s journey to becoming a kung fu master, TPU shank at the outsole constructed with a bamboo finish representing Po’s fighting staff, and lucky number graphics at the heel as a nod to the year of each Kung Fu Panda film release.
Also available in Versa Pump for kids.
Instapump Fury “Dragon Warrior” retails for $200.
Club C “Master Your Style”
Reebok
Club C “Master Your Style” brings together each of film’s six Kung Fu Masters’ unique wardrobes via a tapestry of materials and colors: the toe for Crane’s pants, the toe box for Po’s fur, the crosscheck for Tigress’s kimono, the heel for Po’s patchwork pants, the eyestays for each master’s fighting foot wrap, the tongue for Mantis’ exoskeleton, the heel tab for Monkey’s fur, the window box for Monkey’s wrist cuffs, the heel webbing for Viper’s scales and the collar lining for Po’s waistband. The shoe also features a custom Reebok Kanji logo at the heel.
Available in adult sizing.
Club C “Master Your Style” retails for $110.
Club C “Calling All Zodiacs”
Reebok
Club C “Calling All Zodiacs” celebrates the unique ideologies and mentalities of each of the film’s seven Kung Fu Masters: Po, Tigress, Monkey, Crane, Viper, Mantis and Shifu.
Available in adult, grade school, preschool and toddler sizing.
Club C “Calling All Zodiacs” retails for $100.
Zig Kinetica “Master of Tai Chi”
Reebok
Zig Kinetica “Master of Tai Chi” celebrates the Soul – a key theme for Lunar New Year – encouraging wearers to believe in themselves and to trust their inner spirit. This narrative is brought to life with an upper graphic execution paying homage to the golden spirit world that Po enters in the franchise’s third film, an all-over spiritual graphic on the sockliner, a cherry blossom heel graphic and a sublimated soul graphic across the all-textile upper.
Available in adult, grade school, preschool and toddler sizing.
Zig Kinetica “Master of Tai Chi” retails for $140.
Reebok x KFP Apparel
Reebok
Complementing the robust footwear lineup the Reebok x Kung Fu Panda collection also offers a full range of complementary apparel including hoodies, crew sweaters, short sleeve tees and sweatpants honoring Po’s journey to become the Dragon Warrior.
The footwear arrives in Lunar New Year-inspired packaging. The box’s red top symbolizes the red envelopes exchanged at holiday celebrations, while the base presents an action-packed graphic mashup bringing together themes from the Kung Fu Panda franchise. Inside, fans will find product wrapped in tissue paper that provides a restaurant-style menu of Reebok x Kung Fu Panda footwear offerings.
We know your kids haven’t forgotten about the glory of an overnight at the Great Wolf Lodge, and the Great Wolf Lodge hasn’t forgotten about your family, either! While some Great Wolf Lodges are open with strict safety protocols in place, for many of us a visit won’t be possible this year. Throughout the pandemic closures, they’ve been working to keep that pawesome vibe going for you by offering at-home activity tutorials for fun crafts and creative projects to keep the kids happy. For New Year’s Eve, they’ve created an entire lineup for you and the kids: the ultimate Glow-In-the-Dark NYE Party. Read on to get planning.
At the Great Wolf Lodge blog, you’ll find the following activities to throw your own Glow-in-the-Dark NYE Party:
Reebok has just unveiled its second Reebok x WONDER WOMAN collection and its the collab we need to finish out 2020. The collection is between Warner Bros. Consumer Products and DC and follows the Reebok x WONDER WOMAN 1984 line that debuted in September.
The second collection is all about the real life superheroes who are getting us through this year: education professionals and teachers. The campaign features four women who share their stories of navigating Covid-19 as teachers as well as being parents themselves.
Courtney Gould (Art Teacher), Jennifer Rutland (EVP of Realizing Children’s Strengths), Rachael Kinnealey (P.E./Health Teacher and BOKS Trainer) and Keisha Lewis (Paraprofessional and Teacher) share their stories in an inspiring film put together by the collab. Grab your tissues!
Probably one of the most thumbs-down things about the coronavirus pandemic is being able to see your neighbors and nearby friends, but not being able to get closer than six feet to them. If you and your crew are feeling the disconnect, don’t stress! With a little creativity, you can get back to feeling as tightknit as ever within your community. Scroll down to see our super fun ideas for bringing your community together without actually being in a crowd.
The thrill of this hunt is getting to do something active with your neighbors while still respecting each other’s space. Organize a community-wide search by first picking and sharing the theme of the hunt—like animals, states, painted rocks, etc. You may need to prep a little by enlisting the neighborhood to put objects in their windows or on their porches. If you have a competitive crew, add a time limit and a hashtag for sharing pics of your finds.
2. Play Tic-Tac-Toe.
Keep your X’s and O’s socially distant by playing through a glass door or window. Create a Tic-Tac-Toe board with masking tape or an erasable marker on the glass. While you play, one opponent is inside the house, and the other is outside. This sneaky set-up also works with Connect Four and Pictionary.
If you feel like all you’ve been doing during this entire pandemic is cooking meals, give yourself (and your neighbors) a much-needed break. After checking on community interest and getting approval from any housing associations, contact a few trucks to see who might be available to set up shop for a couple of hours. To keep lingering crowds to a minimum, you might want to have the truck stick to mobile- or pre-orders only.
4. Have a social distance dance party.
Who knew busting a move with neighbors during a pandemic could be so simple (and ridiculously fun)? All you do is pick the neighbor with the best playlist to blast the music (make sure non-participating neighbors are okay with the ruckus) and invite everyone to showcase their dance moves in their driveways. Kick it up a notch by playing driveway freeze dance.
Allison Sutcliffe
5. Start a fairy garden.
Do you believe in magic? You will after creating a fairy garden in your yard. Open it up to other enchanted friends by keeping the garden in a high traffic area—near your curb or a sidewalk, for example. Then, any passersby can help decorate the fairy garden with little items: pinecones, stick teepees, or stones for benches or garden paths.
6. Do a sidewalk chalk obstacle course.
From spins and twirls to squats and hopscotch, these chalk obstacle courses are not only fun to do, but they can become a community art project of sorts, with neighbors adding directives to it—“do a yoga pose,” “run in place,” “clap 10 times”—as they go.
iStock
7. Show an outdoor movie.
Mainstream movie theaters may be closed, but you’ll barely skip a beat by setting up a projector and an outdoor screen in your yard. Make it BYO by inviting neighbors to bring their snacks (buttered popcorn and Twizzlers … holler!) and sit on their blankets, six feet apart.
8. Make a trade (from a distance).
Save some money while getting to know your neighbors by conducting swaps of various things—clothes, books, toys, etc. Keep it contactless by setting it up online (try: Nextdoor.com or Facebook Marketplace), and being clear on a drop time and place.
Randy7 via Pixabay
9. Set up a free little library.
A little free library is a triple threat. It can bring your community together, curb book clutter and help nix the "summer slide." Set up is super simple, too—get creative and build your own (it's just a larger-looking mailbox) or buy one pre-made from The Little Free Library organization. Bookworms unite (without actually uniting)!
10. Host a virtual happy hour.
Let’s be honest here—this one never gets old. After you’ve shuttled the kids to bed or set them up on a Netflix watch party with their friends, grab a glass of your favorite beverage and snag some face-to-face time (through the interwebz) with your neighbor-friends. Don’t forget to make a toast … to health, happiness and community.
When shopping for your little one are you bombarded with overtly gendered styles? Stitch Fix Kids is expanding its offerings with the launch of RUNWAY, an exclusive activewear brand that meets the needs of all children. The debut RUNWAY collection was designed to appeal to all kids, regardless of gender.
This collection was created in response to direct feedback from Stitch Fix Kids customers. RUNWAY is designed to push boundaries and build confidence, keeping kids focused on achieving their goals and unlocking their potential.
Stitch Fix leveraged client feedback and insights to inform the eye-catching color scheme and empowering messages incorporated across the line. Each piece is crafted with comfort in mind. With moisture-wicking and quick-dry technology, each activewear style, including tees, tanks, hoodies, shorts and leggings is made to keep pace with kids on the go.
The collection is available in sizes 2T–18. Prices range from $16–$28.
Every Kids Fix includes 8–12 items, making it easy for parents to stock up on head to-toe looks and shop less often. Offerings include playwear, activewear, outerwear, occasionwear, swimwear, footwear and more across a range of price points.
To shop the new RUNWAY collection and more kids styles, head to Stitch Fix Kids to schedule a Fix.
