Flora and Tiger: 19 Very Short Stories from My Life ANNOTATION
The author recalls experiences from his childhood in Germany and his later life in the United States, all in some way connected with various animals.
FROM THE PUBLISHER
My father loved animals, it is from him that I inherited that love for all kinds of creatures. My father liked to draw, it is from him that I inherited the joy of picture making. My father was a story teller, it is from him that I learned to tell a story.
Eric Carle known for his outstanding picture books, among them The Very Hungry Caterpillar, has now turned his talent to writing these short stories. Flora and Tiger is an exuberant and touching collection of personal vignettes dedicated to his gentle father, from his earliest years in America, through his boyhood in the shadow of war in Germany, to the present as an adult living and working in the United States.
Eric Carle writes of his Oma (German grandmother) and the hen who might have been a rooster, his cousin Fritz and the turtle who loved a cat, his friend Sol and his kidnapped black cat, and his Uncle Adam and his tamed ravens, and many others.
"These stories have three things in common," Eric Carle writes, "animals and insects, my family and friends. and me." Writing with wit and charm, full of love for the people around him, in these stories, Eric Carle welcomes readers, young and old, into his world.
SYNOPSIS
The creator of The Very Hungry Caterpillar gives readers a warm, intimate glimpse of his real-life universe of animals, insects, and family.
FROM THE CRITICS
Children's Literature - Susan Hepler
Nineteen small vignettes from Carle's life occuring both in Germany and in the U.S. trace his early interest in bugs, animals, and his family, all of which have appeared as subjects in his many books for early elementary readers. The stories include accurate animal information which Carle reveals as his child-self listens to his father's explanations while watching black ants enslave red, for instance, or an injured swift finally fly away. Older readers may be interested in these leisurely told snapshots of Carle's boyhood, but those looking for information about the origins of his many picture books, how he learned to write, and where his talents took him will need to read the more sharply focused autobiography, The Art of Eric Carle (Simon & Schuster, 1993).
School Library Journal
Gr 4 UpCarle shares a bit of himself in this collection of vignettes. In his words, "The stories...from various places and times...have three things in common: animals or insects, friends or relatives, and me." Nineteen short stories, each no more than three pages and sparsely illustrated by the author, allow readers glimpses into the artist's life. They meet his grandparents who argued about a hen that might have been a rooster. Carle reminisces about exploring the countryside with his father or making the horrible and painful discovery that a wasp is trapped in his trousers. These stories are gentle wanderings through his life rather than a biography in linear form. Some take place in Germany and some in the United States; they range in time from childhood during World War II to the present. The sketches are sometimes moving, sometimes funny, and sometimes uplifting. Flora and Tiger is an intimate portrait that provides a picture of this popular illustrator. A super addition to any study of Carle or his work.Jane Claes, T. J. Lee Elementary School, Irving, TX
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