On Tuesday night, First Book had the incredible pleasure of attending the third annual Carle Honors event, held at the University Club in New York City!

The Carle Honors, sponsored by the Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art, is a unique set of awards designed to recognize four distinct forms of creative vision and long-term dedication to the art of the picture book and its vital role in supporting art appreciation, early literacy, and critical thinking. This year’s amazing list of honorees included Maurice Sendak (Artist), Vanita and Jim Oelschlager (Angels), Susan Hirschman (Mentor), and Jim Trelease (Bridge).

And what an amazing evening it was!  Everywhere one looked, there was an author or illustrator standing nearby – people like Chris Van Allsburg, Jon Scieszka, Rosemary Wells, Eric Carle, Kevin Henkes, Ashley Bryan, Matthew Reinhart, Robert Sabuda, Leonard Marcus, and Lois Ehlert, just to name a few in attendance. It was incredible to encounter so many talented people gathered all in one room!

In celebration of 2008’s Carle Honors recipients, First Book is happy to announce that we will be donating 5,000 new books to children in need in New York and Western Massachusetts. We’d also like to take a moment to thank our wonderful friends at the Carle, especially Museum Director Nick Clark, Assistant Director Rebecca Goggins and Board Member Leonard S. Marcus for their amazing support of First Book’s mission and for continuing to help bring the magic of books to children everywhere!