Can a child understand Surrealism? Eric Carle thinks so.

Eric Carle is 86-years old, has published over 70 books, and claims his latest children's book, The Nonsense Book, will be his last. But the author and illustrator of such timeless classics such as The Very Hungry Caterpillar and The Grouchy Ladybug, and the illustrator of other books like Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?, wants to teach children one final thing before he calls it a day: Surrealism.

Yes. The artistic form. Think: Salvador Dali, Max Ernst, Joan Miró.

Surrealism isn't terribly difficult to understand, although some adults struggle to grasp the concept. Children, maybe with broader imaginations, find Surrealism to be an art they can embrace though. As Carle tells the Wall Street Journal, "Children can handle this, and they laugh." One of the tenants of Surrealism is that it intends to split reality and dreams--in essence, a juxtaposition, usually on absurd levels.

Which explains why The Nonsense Book has illustrations of a child inside a kangaroo's pouch, a bird in a fish tank and a fish in a bird cage, and a rabbit magician pulling a child out of a hat.

Carle's love of art was born during his years living in Nazi Germany as a child and his formative years growing up, all while most art was being censored.

After moving back to the United States, and after pursuing his dream to be an illustrator, and after creating The Very Hungry Caterpillar, and after that book alone sold over 40 million copies, and after a lifetime of teaching children through dozens and dozens of adventures from the text and illustrations he created, and after becoming one of the handful of all-time greats--after all of that, things still inspire him to create.

So, will this really be Eric Carle's last book?

As his editor, Ann Beneduce told the Journal, "He will say his whole life’s work is finished," but that some time passes, her phone will ring, and "He’ll say 'I have an idea I’d like to run by you.' And, there’s the start of another book."

Let's hope that happens. Again and again and again...



Illustrations: Eric Carle, via WSJ