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Wednesday 10am - 4pm Thursday 10am - 4pm Friday 10am - 4pm Saturday 10am - 5pm Sunday 12pm - 5pm

The Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art

Name: The Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art
Address: 125 W Bay Road, Amherst, MA, 01002, US
Telephone: (413)5596300
Price range: $$
Rating: 4.6

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The Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art

The Carle is the international champion for picture books. We collect & exhibit original art.
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Due to limited capacity to allow for social distancing, The Carle recommends purchasing tickets in advance on our website where you can also find upcoming events, virtual exhibits, learn about Eric Carle, and more! Masks are required for all guests age 5 and up regardless of vaccination status.

05/28/2026

A new Everyday Art Project has sprouted in the Studio 🌳✂️

Watch our art educator Wazi recreate the iconic cork tree from “The Story of Ferdinand”, where we’ll display artwork created as part of our latest drop-in project.

“Serene Scene” invites you to design your own botanical paper cut outs, inspired by our “Under the Cork Tree: The Story of Ferdinand” exhibition. Stop by through July 12 to explore materials for this project!

05/26/2026

Celebrate flowers and Ferdinand at The Carle with live music, art making, and special hours on June 4🌼

📆 On Thursday, June 4, The Carle will be open from 1–8 pm.

Join us for our final Carle After Dark of the year, "Viva Ferdinand!" inspired by our current exhibition, "Under the Cork Tree: The Story of Ferdinand."

Beginning at 4 pm, create collage blooms and help grow a community Field of Flowers, enjoy Ferdinand-inspired storytimes throughout the evening, and listen to live music from The Juan Araneda Trio.

Find the full schedule here: https://bit.ly/4cH4NlA

🎶 Live music is generously sponsored by Northampton Jazz Festival.

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🎨 Robert Lawson, Illustration for The Story of Ferdinand by Munro Leaf, 1936. The Morgan Library & Museum, 1970.16:1-37, Gift of the Mary Flagler Cary Charitable Trust. © 1936 Munro Leaf and Robert Lawson, renewed 1964 Munro Leaf and John W. Boyd. Used by permission of Viking Children’s Books, an imprint of Penguin Young Readers Group, a division of Penguin Random House LLC. All rights reserved.

05/25/2026

Wishing everyone a peaceful Memorial Day 💚

💙 The Carle is proud to participate in Blue Star Museums, a program that provides free admission to currently serving U.S. military personnel and their families throughout the summer.

Through Labor Day, September 7, present a military ID at our admissions desk to enjoy free entry. We’re grateful for the opportunity to welcome military families to explore the magic of picture book art together.

https://bit.ly/4dIdjQm

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🎨 Eric Carle, Illustration for Draw Me a Star. Collection of Eric and Barbara Carle. © 1992 Penguin Random House LLC.

05/22/2026

Imagine opening your Happy Meal and finding one of these Eric Carle-inspired toys 🍟🐛

In 1996, McDonald’s released a series of Happy Meal finger puppets based on Eric Carle’s books. Compare the toys with the original artwork!

These nostalgic collectibles are currently on view in "Small Living Things: The Magical Art of Eric Carle" at Michener Art Museum in Doylestown, Pennsylvania.

🖼️ Don’t miss your chance to see them up close during the exhibition’s final weekend—on view through May 24.
📍 Michener Art Museum in Doylestown, PA
https://bit.ly/4nGNyop
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💡 Eric Carle, Illustration for The Very Lonely Firefly. Collection of the Eric and Barbara Carle Foundation. © 1995 Penguin Random House LLC.

🐚 Eric Carle, Illustration for A House for Hermit Crab. Collection of the Eric and Barbara Carle Foundation. © 1987 Penguin Random House LLC.

🦗 Eric Carle, Illustration for The Very Quiet Cricket. Collection of the Eric and Barbara Carle Foundation. © 1990 Penguin Random House LLC.

🐞 Eric Carle, Illustration for Grouchy Ladybug. Collection of the Eric and Barbara Carle Foundation. © 1997 Penguin Random House LLC.

05/19/2026

Lights, camera… caterpillar! 🎬🐛

In The Carle’s latest collaboration with KidLit TV, we go behind the pages of "The Very Hungry Caterpillar"—and now you can go behind the scenes of the film, too! Check out these moments from filming at The Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art.

Join educator David Feinstein as he journeys through the museum with the help of museum friends to uncover how Eric Carle created one of the world’s most iconic picture books.

🎬 Grab your popcorn and watch this special episode here: https://bit.ly/4ukcd4x

05/19/2026

Check out this Very special collaboration with KidLit TV, filmed at The Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art! https://www.kidlit.tv/2026/05/behind-the-pages-of-the-very-hungry-caterpillar/

05/18/2026

Happy International Museum Day! 🎉 Explore the evolution of The Carle, from preliminary design to the museum we know today.

Museums around the world play a vital role in education, community building, and artistic inspiration. Eric and Barbara Carle were inspired to create The Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art after visiting museums dedicated to picture book art in Japan. They chose an old orchard on the Hampshire College campus as the Museum’s home, where architect Earl Pope of Juster Pope Frazier designed the 43,000 square-foot building. (The firm was co-founded by "The Phantom Tollbooth" author Norton Juster!)

❤️ We’re proud to be part of Museums10, a consortium of remarkable museums across Western Massachusetts.

💚 Learn more about The Carle’s mission and how you can support it here: https://bit.ly/3W27zZT

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🎨 Juster Pope Frazier Architects, Preliminary design concept for The Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art, built 2002 © Juster Pope Frazier LLC Architects.

05/15/2026

What a cool symposium! Thank you, Richland Library, for celebrating picture books.

Leonard Marcus curated our current exhibition, "CLICK! Photographers Make Picture Books".

05/14/2026

In honor of Jewish American Heritage Month, we’re highlighting Jewish artists in our collection ✨

1️⃣ William Steig was the son of Eastern European Jewish immigrants. After a career illustrating for "The New Yorker", he created his first picture book at age 61 and wrote "Shrek!" in his 80s. Did you know “Shrek” comes from the Yiddish word for “terror”?
🎨 𝘚𝘩𝘳𝘦𝘬! (𝘚𝘲𝘶𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘍𝘪𝘴𝘩). 𝘎𝘪𝘧𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘑𝘦𝘢𝘯𝘯𝘦 𝘚𝘵𝘦𝘪𝘨. © 1990 𝘞𝘪𝘭𝘭𝘪𝘢𝘮 𝘚𝘵𝘦𝘪𝘨.

2️⃣ Simms Taback wrote and illustrated over 40 children’s books, many inspired by tales from his Eastern European Jewish heritage, including "Kibitzers and Fools: Tales My Zayda Told Me", a collection of humorous stories.
🎨 𝘒𝘪𝘣𝘪𝘵𝘻𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘍𝘰𝘰𝘭𝘴: 𝘛𝘢𝘭𝘦𝘴 𝘔𝘺 𝘡𝘢𝘺𝘥𝘢 𝘛𝘰𝘭𝘥 𝘔𝘦 (𝘝𝘪𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨). 𝘎𝘪𝘧𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘚𝘪𝘮𝘮𝘴 𝘛𝘢𝘣𝘢𝘤𝘬 & 𝘍𝘢𝘮𝘪𝘭𝘺. © 2005 𝘚𝘪𝘮𝘮𝘴 𝘛𝘢𝘣𝘢𝘤𝘬.

3️⃣ Jane Breskin Zalben’s picture books often explore family and tradition, themes celebrated in her series about Jewish holidays starring a bear named Beni and his family.
🎨 𝘉𝘦𝘯𝘪’𝘴 𝘛𝘪𝘯𝘺 𝘛𝘢𝘭𝘦𝘴: 𝘈𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘠𝘦𝘢𝘳 𝘪𝘯 𝘑𝘦𝘸𝘪𝘴𝘩 𝘏𝘰𝘭𝘪𝘥𝘢𝘺𝘴 (𝘊𝘩𝘳𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘺 𝘖𝘵𝘵𝘢𝘷𝘪𝘢𝘯𝘰 𝘉𝘰𝘰𝘬𝘴) © 2023 𝘑𝘢𝘯𝘦 𝘉𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘬𝘪𝘯 𝘡𝘢𝘭𝘣𝘦𝘯.

4️⃣ Uri Shulevitz fled Poland during World War II before coming to New York. "The Golem" retells the Jewish legend of a clay being brought to life by a rabbi to protect Prague’s Jewish community.
🎨 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘎𝘰𝘭𝘦𝘮 𝘣𝘺 𝘐𝘴𝘢𝘢𝘤 𝘉𝘢𝘴𝘩𝘦𝘷𝘪𝘴 𝘚𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘦𝘳. 𝘎𝘪𝘧𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘌𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘜𝘳𝘪 𝘚𝘩𝘶𝘭𝘦𝘷𝘪𝘵𝘻. © 1982 𝘜𝘳𝘪 𝘚𝘩𝘶𝘭𝘦𝘷𝘪𝘵𝘻.

5️⃣ Margot Zemach illustrated nearly 50 books, many adapting Yiddish and Eastern European folktales, like "It Could Always Be Worse", about a man seeking a rabbi’s advice for his overcrowded home.
🎨 𝘐𝘵 𝘊𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘈𝘭𝘸𝘢𝘺𝘴 𝘉𝘦 𝘞𝘰𝘳𝘴𝘦: 𝘈 𝘠𝘪𝘥𝘥𝘪𝘴𝘩 𝘍𝘰𝘭𝘬𝘵𝘢𝘭𝘦 (𝘚𝘲𝘶𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘍𝘪𝘴𝘩). 𝘎𝘪𝘧𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘔𝘢𝘳𝘨𝘰𝘵 𝘡𝘦𝘮𝘢𝘤𝘩 𝘛𝘳𝘶𝘴𝘵. © 1990 𝘔𝘢𝘳𝘨𝘰𝘵 𝘡𝘦𝘮𝘢𝘤𝘩.

Thanks to our neighbors Yiddish Book Center for their work making Yiddish literature accessible to all!

05/13/2026

This season, help stories and art continue to grow 🌿

Through June 30, your support of The Carle will go twice as far! Thanks to a generous challenge grant from the Eric and Barbara Carle Foundation, all new gifts, memberships, and increased giving will be matched.

Your support helps The Carle:
🖼️ Present inspiring exhibitions and programs for children, families, and adults
📖 Preserve and expand the world’s most significant collection of picture book art
🎨 Support artists, scholars, and educators shaping the future of the field
✨ Share the magic of picture books with communities locally and around the world

Thank you for being part of our community 💚
https://bit.ly/3R8Pk5q
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🎨 Eric Carle, Illustration for I See a Song. Collection of the Eric and Barbara Carle Foundation. © 1973 Penguin Random House LLC.

05/10/2026

Happy Mother’s Day! 🦒💛

Here’s to the parents, caregivers, and loved ones who stick their necks out for us and help us grow.

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🎨 Eric Carle, Illustration for Do Bears Have Mothers Too? by Aileen Fisher. Collection of Eric and Barbara Carle. © 1973 Penguin Random House LLC. See less

Address

125 W Bay Road
Amherst, MA
01002

Opening Hours

Wednesday	10am - 4pm
Thursday	10am - 4pm
Friday	10am - 4pm
Saturday	10am - 5pm
Sunday	12pm - 5pm

Telephone

(413)5596300

Website

http://www.carlemuseum.org/

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