The Nonsense Show - by Eric Carle

About the Book

"Ducks growing out of bananas? A mouse catching a cat? What's wrong with this book? Yes, there's something strange, something funny, and even downright preposterous on every page of this book. But it's not a mistake--it's nonsense! And it's also surrealism"--

Book Synopsis

A TIME Magazine Top 10 Children's Book of 2015!

Ducks growing out of bananas? A mouse catching a cat? What's wrong with this book from the creator of The Very Hungry Caterpillar?

Yes, there's something strange, something funny and even downright preposterous on every page of this book. But it's not a mistake - it's nonsense! And it's also surrealism. Nonsense lies at the heart of many beloved nursery rhymes. Children readily accept odd statements like "the cow jumped over the moon" and "the dish ran away with the spoon." This fanciful bending of reality is also basic to surrealism.

In this book, nonsense and surrealism combine to spark creativity and imagination. What's true? What's impossible? What's absolutely absurd? From Eric Carle, creator of the classic, The Very Hungry Caterpillar, comes a book to make children laugh and think, preparing them for a lifetime of loving both words and art.

Following on the heels of The Artist Who Painted a Blue Horse (an homage to the artist Franz Marc and expressionism) and Friends, with its semi-abstract artwork, The Nonsense Show forms a trilogy of sorts, dedicated to introducing young readers to different styles of artwork without ever overlooking the need to, first and foremost, appeal to children and their love of play. One of the true legends and pioneers of picture book making continues to expand and challenge the genre.

Praise for The Nonsense Show

* "Carle creates fun and laughter in this homage to the surrealist artist René Magritte. [P]erfect for storytimes and silly times all round. Carle hits it out of the nonsense park!"-Booklist, starred review

* "A sure hit as a read-aloud and a definite purchase for picture book collections."-School Library Journal, starred review
* "A picture book made to incite pleasure and joy."-Kirkus Reviews, starred review

* "[The Nonsense Show], with its cleanly designed white pages, makes the unexpected elements of the imagery stand out and prompts questions and wonder."-Horn Book, starred review

Review Quotes

A TIME Magazine Top 10 Children's Book of 2015!

* "Carle creates fun and laughter in this homage to the surrealist artist René Magritte. [P]erfect for storytimes and silly times all round. Carle hits it out of the nonsense park!"-Booklist, starred review

* "A sure hit as a read-aloud and a definite purchase for picture book collections."-School Library Journal, starred review

* "A picture book made to incite pleasure and joy."-Kirkus Reviews, starred review

* "[The Nonsense Show], with its cleanly designed white pages, makes the unexpected elements of the imagery stand out and prompts questions and wonder."-Horn Book, starred review

About the Author

Eric Carle is acclaimed and beloved as the creator of brilliantly illustrated and innovatively designed picture books for very young children. His best-known work, The Very Hungry Caterpillar, has been translated into 70 languages and sold over 55 million copies. Carle illustrated more than seventy books, many best sellers, most of which he also wrote, and more than 170 million copies of his books have sold around the world. In 2003, Carle received the Laura Ingalls Wilder Award (now called the Children's Literature Legacy Award) for lifetime achievement in children's literature. In 2002, Eric and his wife, Barbara, cofounded The Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art (www.carlemuseum.org) in Amherst, Massachusetts, a 40,000-square-foot space dedicated to the celebration of picture books and picture book illustrations from around the world, underscoring the cultural, historical, and artistic significance of picture books and their art form. Eric Carle passed away in May 2021 at the age of 91. His work remains an important influence on artists and illustrators at work today. www.eric-carle.com