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The Very Quiet Cricket

Author Eric Carle
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Hardcover
$25.99 US
| $35.99 CAN
On sale Nov 09, 1990 | 32 Pages | 9780399218859
Age 2-5 years | Up to Kindergarten
Reading Level: Lexile AD430L | Fountas & Pinnell K

From bestselling author and illustrator Eric Carle, the creator of The Very Hungry Caterpillar, comes another classic tale about one very quiet cricket. A perfect gift to share with the child or grandchild in your life.

One day a tiny cricket is born and meets a big cricket who chirps his welcome. The tiny cricket tries to respond, but there is no sound. The quiet cricket then makes his way into the world, meeting one insect after another, each of whom greets the little cricket with a cheery hello--the hum of a bee, the whirr of a dragonfly, the whisper of a praying mantis. The cricket rubs his wings together each time, but nothing happens, not a sound. Until the day he meets another cricket, a female, and something different happens . . .

As children turn the page on this wonderful moment, they are greeted with a surprise--an actual chirp!

Full of Eric Carle's gorgeous and lush collage art, a gentle rhythmic text for read-alouds, and a wonder-inducing surprise at the end, The Very Quiet Cricket remains an all-time favorite from one of the true masters of picture-book making.

Batteries are replaceable. Please use two 1.5 volt L1131 button cell batteries.

Praise for The Very Quiet Cricket:

"Typical of Carle's style, the language is simple, with rhythm, repetition, and alliteration to delight young listeners. Painted collage illustrations are lavish and expressive."--School Library Journal
 
"The text is skillfully shaped; the illustrations convey energy and immediacy."--Horn Book

"As usual, Carle's art is lovely and his story is simple and satisfying."--Publishers Weekly

"Carle's signature style ensures that this is a visual standout, and storywise it's appealing, too....The spare text is structured by repetitive phrasing that will lend itself to read-aloud responses."--Booklist

  • WINNER
    Children's Book Award
Praise for The Very Quiet Cricket:

"Typical of Carle's style, the language is simple, with rhythm, repetition, and alliteration to delight young listeners. Painted collage illustrations are lavish and expressive."--School Library Journal
 
"The text is skillfully shaped; the illustrations convey energy and immediacy."--Horn Book

"As usual, Carle's art is lovely and his story is simple and satisfying."--Publishers Weekly

"Carle's signature style ensures that this is a visual standout, and storywise it's appealing, too....The spare text is structured by repetitive phrasing that will lend itself to read-aloud responses."--Booklist
© Penguin Random House
Born in the United States, Eric Carle was taken as a six-year-old child by his parents back to their native country, Germany. Later, he studied at the Akademie der Bildenden Künste (Academy of Applied Arts) in Stuttgart, and returned to New York in his early twenties as a graphic designer and artist. His many picture books are now known and loved by children around the world.
 
In 2002, Eric and his late wife, Barbara, opened The Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art, in Amherst, Massachusetts, where the works of distinguished picture book artists, nationally and internationally acclaimed, are exhibited in three spacious galleries.

Eric Carle passed away in 2021, at the age of 91. View titles by Eric Carle

About

From bestselling author and illustrator Eric Carle, the creator of The Very Hungry Caterpillar, comes another classic tale about one very quiet cricket. A perfect gift to share with the child or grandchild in your life.

One day a tiny cricket is born and meets a big cricket who chirps his welcome. The tiny cricket tries to respond, but there is no sound. The quiet cricket then makes his way into the world, meeting one insect after another, each of whom greets the little cricket with a cheery hello--the hum of a bee, the whirr of a dragonfly, the whisper of a praying mantis. The cricket rubs his wings together each time, but nothing happens, not a sound. Until the day he meets another cricket, a female, and something different happens . . .

As children turn the page on this wonderful moment, they are greeted with a surprise--an actual chirp!

Full of Eric Carle's gorgeous and lush collage art, a gentle rhythmic text for read-alouds, and a wonder-inducing surprise at the end, The Very Quiet Cricket remains an all-time favorite from one of the true masters of picture-book making.

Batteries are replaceable. Please use two 1.5 volt L1131 button cell batteries.

Praise for The Very Quiet Cricket:

"Typical of Carle's style, the language is simple, with rhythm, repetition, and alliteration to delight young listeners. Painted collage illustrations are lavish and expressive."--School Library Journal
 
"The text is skillfully shaped; the illustrations convey energy and immediacy."--Horn Book

"As usual, Carle's art is lovely and his story is simple and satisfying."--Publishers Weekly

"Carle's signature style ensures that this is a visual standout, and storywise it's appealing, too....The spare text is structured by repetitive phrasing that will lend itself to read-aloud responses."--Booklist

Awards

  • WINNER
    Children's Book Award

Reviews

Praise for The Very Quiet Cricket:

"Typical of Carle's style, the language is simple, with rhythm, repetition, and alliteration to delight young listeners. Painted collage illustrations are lavish and expressive."--School Library Journal
 
"The text is skillfully shaped; the illustrations convey energy and immediacy."--Horn Book

"As usual, Carle's art is lovely and his story is simple and satisfying."--Publishers Weekly

"Carle's signature style ensures that this is a visual standout, and storywise it's appealing, too....The spare text is structured by repetitive phrasing that will lend itself to read-aloud responses."--Booklist

Author

© Penguin Random House
Born in the United States, Eric Carle was taken as a six-year-old child by his parents back to their native country, Germany. Later, he studied at the Akademie der Bildenden Künste (Academy of Applied Arts) in Stuttgart, and returned to New York in his early twenties as a graphic designer and artist. His many picture books are now known and loved by children around the world.
 
In 2002, Eric and his late wife, Barbara, opened The Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art, in Amherst, Massachusetts, where the works of distinguished picture book artists, nationally and internationally acclaimed, are exhibited in three spacious galleries.

Eric Carle passed away in 2021, at the age of 91. View titles by Eric Carle