From time to time, the programs who get books from us let us know what they need. One of the biggest requests we get is for more Spanish language or bilingual offerings.
Well, we heard you, and we’d like to share the big news about an exclusive First Book first edition of the bilingual English/Spanish board book, Eric Carle’s classic picture book, The Very Hungry Caterpillar.
Beginning this month, for the low, low price of $3.25, this book is available exclusively on the First Book Marketplace to our registered groups. This book is the only English/Spanish version on the market and a wonderful resource for our youngest readers. At retail, the board book in English or Spanish retails for $10.99.
We are thrilled to offer this exclusive, beautiful book to the programs serving kids who otherwise would not have classic children’s books in their lives.

I had the honor to attend a happy and heart-warming celebration of Eric Carle’s 80th birthday and The Very Hungry Caterpillar’s 40th anniversary at a spacious terrace and loft in New York City on September 24. Superb, renowned illustrator Eric Carle is a charming, generous and funny man. When we arrived, Mr. Carle and his wife Barbara warmly greeted everyone. At one moment, I glanced over and saw Mr. Carle bending down graciously to talk with beautiful Alice Provensen, now in her 90s, who had traveled all day on a plane from California to attend and accept the Carle Artist Award. What a legacy of children’s illustrators in the room.
The loft terrace was bathed in light as the sun set on a perfectly warm fall evening. All of Mr. Carle’s friends saluted him and the Museum surprised him with a giant birthday cake shaped like the Very Hungry Caterpillar! Awardees received a precious framed print of a Carle butterfly. It was wonderful to see so many friends of First Book including Laura Geringer, Judith Haut, Lisa Holton, Leonard Marcus and Amy Schwartz, Ned Rust, Susan Katz, Barbara Marcus, to name a few, at the festivities.

