Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?

CARLE, Eric.

$750.00

Item Number: 147284

New York: Henry Holt and Company, 1983.

First General Book edition, early printing of enormously creative children’s book. Small quarto, original illustrated boards. Presentation copy, inscribed by the author on the title page, “Grrr, for Ryan, Eric Carle,” with an large original drawing of a bear standing on two legs. Near fine in a  near fine dust jacket. Rare and desirable with an original drawing.

On a train ride in 1966, the title phrase Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? popped into Bill Martin Jr.'s head. Later, he spotted an illustration of a red lobster in a magazine and contacted the creator, Eric Carle, to ask if he would illustrate his poem. So began Eric Carle's career as a children's book illustrator--along with a life-long collaborative friendship with Bill Martin Jr. Since then, Brown Bear and the three companion titles, Polar Bear, Panda Bear, and Baby Bear, have gone on to sell millions of copies worldwide.