Happy Birthday, Eric Carle

June 25th is Eric Carle’s birthday–and a great time to check out some of the books from the beloved author and illustrator’s long career. You probably know Carle as the creator of The Very Hungry Caterpillar (1969), but did you know that his very next book was also about food? Pancakes, Pancakes (1970) is the story of Jack, who must gather eggs from the chickens and milk from the cow before he can learn how to make delicious pancakes (with his mother’s help, of course). In recent years, Carle has published books about kangaroos, fireflies, chamelons, seahorses and even rubber ducks (10 Little Rubber Ducks, 2005).

Happy Birthday, Shrek!

The ogre who inspired a series of blockbuster movies and a Broadway musical turns 20 this year, and it’s time to celebrate. Author-illustrator William Steig introduced the beloved character in Shrek!, a picture book first published in 1990.

Check out all of the Shrek stuff the library has.

Steig died in 2003 at the age of 95, but his work lives on, and his loveable ogre continues to charm children around the world. Shrek fans can see more of his adventures in the new movie Shrek Forever After, which debuts in theaters on May 21.