Independent Arts News Reporting Small Living Things: The Magical Art of Eric Carle at Michener Art Museum
Reported on Wednesday, January 21, 2026.
Pictured Above: Michener Eric Carle The Very Hungry Caterpillar. Photo Credit Contributed.
NEWSROOM POST: DOYLESTOWN, PENNSYLVANIA
The Eric Carle exhibit at the Michener Art Museum features 86 of the famous author’s original illustrations including The Very Hungry Caterpillar, The Very Quiet Cricket, The Very Busy Spider, and more. The well-known titles spark three months of family-friendly events for Museum visitors of all ages.
Doylestown, PA – The exhibition Small Living Things: The Magical Art of Eric Carle, on view at Michener Art Museum from February 14 through May 24, 2026, brings visitors up close to picture book illustrations by the beloved author.
Small Living Things highlights the small creatures from Eric Carle’s collection with original artwork from The Very Hungry Caterpillar, The Very Quiet Cricket, The Very Busy Spider, The Very Clumsy Click Beetle, The Grouchy Ladybug, and more, as well as larger animals from the classic Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? collaboration with Bill Martin Jr.
When Eric Carle was a boy, his father took him on walks in nature, peeling back the bark of a tree to show him the tiny creatures who lived underneath. “I think in my books, I honor my father by writing about small living things,” Carle said.
Carle started his career in advertising and as a graphic designer for The New York Times. He didn’t start illustrating and writing books for children until he was almost 40. His most famous work, The Very Hungry Caterpillar, has sold over 55 million copies and has been translated into over 80 languages. Carle died in 2021 at the age of 91, after celebrating 50 years of The Very Hungry Caterpillar in 2019.
Organized by The Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art in Amherst, Mass., Small Living Things also includes examples of process art and sketches, poster designs, and objects representative of Carle’s influence in contemporary culture. The 1996 Eric Carle-inspired McDonald’s Happy Meal toy series is displayed, along with The Very Hungry Caterpillar in bronze by sculptor Nancy Schön, creator of the Make Way for Ducklings sculpture in the Boston Public Garden.
“We are so pleased to share the art of Eric Carle with the Michener Art Museum community,” said Jennifer Schantz, executive director of The Carle. “Families have been enjoying Carle’s iconic images in their homes for decades, but nothing beats experiencing his original artwork directly as an inspiration for picture book art lovers of all ages.”
Michener Art Museum, with a commitment to nurturing a lifelong involvement in the arts, presents programming concurrent with Small Living Things for visitors of all ages. Gallery-based story times, music
programs, and art-making experiences all connect visual and literary arts. “All About Animals” events bring live lizards, birds, snakes, and more to the Museum. Family-friendly tours are also available throughout the run of the exhibition, including a stroller tour series led by Executive Director and CEO Anne Corso.
“We’re bringing the animal world of Eric Carle to life,” said Casey Repasy, Director of Learning and Engagement. “It’s about giving families hands-on, curiosity-driven experiences.”
Admission for visitors ages 5 and under is free at Michener Art Museum. A free family activity guide for Small Living Things is available at the Visitor’s Services desk, with a prize for every completed submission. The Museum Shop will feature a curated selection of all things Eric Carle for the run of the exhibition.
“The Magical Art of Eric Carle comes at a perfect time,” Corso said. “The Michener is launching the first year of its strategic plan—a plan that prioritizes the Museum’s role as a community hub and using art to foster lifelong learning. This exhibition will reach beyond the Museum’s walls through partnerships with area institutions and businesses.”
In collaboration with the Bucks County Free Library, all seven branches in Bensalem, Doylestown, Langhorne, Levittown, Perkasie, Quakertown, and Yardley are part of more Eric Carle-themed fun, including scavenger hunts and story times.
A town-wide scavenger hunt, the Caterpillar Crawl, has punch cards available for shoppers at Doylestown businesses. The windows of participating businesses will display different foods the hungry caterpillar enjoys, from apples and pears to chocolate cake. Shoppers who turn in a completed punch card at the Michener Art Museum Visitor’s Services desk will be rewarded with one free guest pass.
Small Living Things: The Magical Art of Eric Carle is presented through the generosity of the Gorsky Family, with major support from Tim Griffith and Anne Corso, and additional support from Leff Family Foundation and Lee and Carole Schram.
Related Exhibition Programming for Small Living Things: The Magical Art of Eric Carle, on view February 14–May 24, 2026:
Opening Weekend
Family-friendly Member Preview
Friday, February 13 • 1–4 p.m. • Free to Museum members
Public Opening Celebration
Saturday, February 14 • 1–4 p.m. • Free to Museum members; Included with general admission
For Kids
Music & Movement with Mini Music Makers, inspired by Small Living Things: The Magical Art of Eric Carle Thursday, February 19 • 10–10:45 a.m.
Thursday, March 19 • 10–10:45 a.m.
Thursday, April 23 • 10–10:45 a.m.
Thursday, May 21 • 10–10:45 a.m.
Cost per session: Adult +1 Child, $25; Additional Adult or Child, $5
Small Living Things: The Magical Art of Eric Carle Family Gallery Tour with Ms. Andrea Saturday, February 21 • 10:30 a.m. • Adult +1 Child, $20; Additional Adult or Child, $5 All About Animals: Birds of Prey with Hawk Mountain
Sunday, February 22 • 1–2 p.m. • Adult +1 Child, $20; Additional Adult or Child, $5
Stroller Tours with Executive Director Anne Corso of Small Living Things: The Magical Art of Eric Carle Thursday, February 26 • 10:15–10:45 a.m.
Friday, March 27 • 1:30–2 p.m.
Friday, April 24 • 3–3:30 p.m.
Cost per session: Adult +1 Child under age 4, $27
Eric Carle Story Time with the Bucks County Free Library
Friday, February 27 • 10:30–11 a.m. • Free with registration
Friday, March 27 • 10:30–11 a.m. • Free with registration
Friday, April 24 • 10:30–11 a.m. • Free with registration
Friday, May 22 • 10:30–11 a.m. • Free with registration
Playful Paper Insects, inspired by the art of Eric Carle
Sunday, March 8 • 1 or 2 p.m. • Free with registration
All About Animals: Snakes, Lizards, and Other Critters with NJ Snake Man
Sunday, March 22 • 1–2 p.m. • Adult +1 Child, $20; Additional Adult or Child, $5
All Ages Workshop: Giant Food Inspired by Eric Carle
Sunday, March 29 • 1–3 p.m. • Adults, $35; Children, $25
For Adults
Exploring the Galleries with Executive Director Anne Corso, featuring Small Living Things: The Magical Art of Eric Carle
Evening: Thursday, March 5 • 5:30–6:30 p.m. • $15 Member, $27 Non-Member
Daytime: Thursday, April 2 • 2:30–3:30 p.m. • $15 Member, $27 Non-Member
Beyond Words Book Club: Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt
Thursday, March 19 • 1–2:30 pm OR Thursday, April 16 • 6:30–8 pm • $10 Member, $22 Non-Member
Planting a Garden for Small Living Things
Wednesday, April 8 • 1–2 p.m. • $10 Member, $22 Non-Member
Adult Workshop: Painted Paper Still Life Inspired by Eric Carle
Sunday, April 26 • 12–4 p.m. • $60 Member, $80 Non-Member
Free Second Sundays
Free admission on the following Second Sundays includes access to Small Living Things: The Magical Art of Eric Carle. Admission is free at Michener Art Museum on the second Sunday of the month with support from Art Bridges Foundation.
Sunday, March 8 • 12–5 p.m.
Sunday, April 12 • 12–5 p.m.
Sunday, May 10 • 12–5 p.m.
About Michener Art Museum:
Address: 138 S. Pine Street, Doylestown PA 18901
Website: michenerartmuseum.org
Hours: Wednesdays–Sundays, 10 a.m.–5 p.m. Admission is free on the second Sunday of the month with support from Art Bridges Foundation.
Michener Art Museum is dedicated to preserving, interpreting, and exhibiting the art and cultural heritage of the Delaware Valley region. The Museum is named for Doylestown’s most famous son James A. Michener, a Pulitzer Prize-winning writer and supporter of the arts. Home to a world class collection of Pennsylvania Impressionist paintings and a permanent collection that explores a variety of artistic expressions, the Michener has a reputation for its craft holdings, which includes the Nakashima Reading Room.
The Museum is housed on the site of the 1884 Bucks County Jail and is surrounded by the original prison walls, now part of the Patricia D. Pfundt Sculpture Garden. Michener Art Museum offers wide-ranging programming that nurtures a lifelong involvement in the arts, with rotating special exhibitions, artist conversations and studio tours, gallery talks, the Putman Arts Leader Lecture series, as well as dance and music performances.
About The Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art
Founded by Eric and Barbara Carle in 2002, The Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art is the international champion of picture book art. Situated on 7.5 acres in Amherst, Massachusetts, The Carle cares for more than 20,000 works of art from more than 300 picture book artists, including Eric Carle (The Very Hungry Caterpillar), and illuminates its collection through exhibitions, education, programming, and art-making—making it a critical resource for picture book artists and authors, and art-loving communities locally, nationally, and abroad. The Carle’s mission is to elevate picture book art and inspire a love of art and art creation. Since opening its doors more than 20 years ago, The Carle has welcomed more than one million visitors—plus more than four million additional museumgoers who have enjoyed its touring exhibitions around the world.
