I love Eric Carle's books! He was born in USA (1929) and is the creator (illustrator and author) of picture books for very young children. Eric Carle has illustrated more than seventy books, most of which he also wrote. His first book was 'Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What do you See?' written by Bill Martin Jr. His art work is created in collage technique using lots of bright colours.
Eric Carle is bilingual, German/English, and his books are great for pupils that are new to the English language because they have got a repetitive structure and pictures are very powerful. His stories invite to participate in a repeated phrase and there is an element of predictability.
Books that have strong repetitive structures allow children to anticipate and predict the remaining text. They give children strong support in their attempts to make meaning.
'Children who are beginning to learn English as another language gain from high quality picture books with clear illustrations, repetitive text and strong language patterns.' Patience MacGregor (1999): .Refugee children. Early Years Educator. Vol.1 No 5
Some of his books are:
Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What do you See?
Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What do you See?
The Very Hungry Caterpillar
The Mixed-Up Chameleon
The Bad-Tempered Ladybird
The Very Quiet Cricket
The Tiny Seed
The Tiny Seed
