Eric Carle Books List in Order: Complete Bibliography

By Anna Marie CarrollChildren/YA

The Eric Carle books in order include far more than The Very Hungry Caterpillar. Carle wrote and illustrated his own picture books, created art for other writers, retold traditional stories, and inspired a large group of early-learning books built around his characters.

Most of these books are standalones, so you can read them in any order. I’ve organized this Eric Carle books list by his role in each book and then by first U.S. publication year. The later World of Eric Carle section focuses on substantial concept, sound, vocabulary, search-and-find, and science titles rather than every holiday edition, activity book, or novelty format.

Jump to:

Eric Carle Books List

You don’t need to follow publication order when reading with a child. Start with The Very Hungry Caterpillar, Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?, or whichever subject interests them most.

Picture Books Written or Co-Created by Eric Carle

These books feature stories, adaptations, or concepts created by Carle, along with his collage artwork. A few were co-created with another writer or artist.

  1. 1, 2, 3 to the Zoo (1968)
  2. The Very Hungry Caterpillar (1969)
  3. Pancakes, Pancakes! (1970)
  4. The Tiny Seed (1970)
  5. Do You Want to Be My Friend? (1971)
  6. Rooster’s Off to See the World (1972)
  7. The Very Long Tail & The Very Long Train (1972)
  8. The Secret Birthday Message (1972)
  9. Walter the Baker (1972)
  10. Have You Seen My Cat? (1973)
  11. I See a Song (1973)
  12. All About Arthur (1974)
  13. The Mixed-Up Chameleon (1975)
  14. The Grouchy Ladybug (1977)
  15. Watch Out! A Giant! (1978)
  16. The Honeybee and the Robber (1981)
  17. Let’s Paint a Rainbow (1982)
  18. Catch the Ball! (1982)
  19. What’s for Lunch? (1982)
  20. The Very Busy Spider (1984)
  21. All Around Us (1986)
  22. Papa, Please Get the Moon for Me (1986)
  23. A House for Hermit Crab (1987)
  24. The Very Quiet Cricket (1990)
  25. Draw Me a Star (1992)
  26. Today Is Monday (1993)
  27. My Apron (1994)
  28. The Very Lonely Firefly (1995)
  29. Little Cloud (1996)
  30. From Head to Toe (1997)
  31. Hello, Red Fox (1998)
  32. The Very Clumsy Click Beetle (1999)
  33. Does a Kangaroo Have a Mother, Too? (2000)
  34. Dream Snow (2000)
  35. “Slowly, Slowly, Slowly,” Said the Sloth (2002)
  36. Where Are You Going? To See My Friend! (2003) with Kazuo Iwamura
  37. Mister Seahorse (2004)
  38. 10 Little Rubber Ducks (2005)
  39. The Artist Who Painted a Blue Horse (2011)
  40. Friends (2013)
  41. The Nonsense Show (2015)

Brown Bear Books with Bill Martin Jr.

Bill Martin Jr. wrote the rhythmic text for these books, and Carle created the illustrations. Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? was the collaboration that launched Carle’s picture-book career.

  1. Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? (1967) written by Bill Martin Jr.
  2. Polar Bear, Polar Bear, What Do You Hear? (1991) written by Bill Martin Jr.
  3. Panda Bear, Panda Bear, What Do You See? (2003) written by Bill Martin Jr.
  4. Baby Bear, Baby Bear, What Do You See? (2007) written by Bill Martin Jr.

Other Books Illustrated by Eric Carle

Carle also illustrated stories, poems, and folktales written by other authors. These books belong in his bibliography even though he didn’t write the text.

  1. Tales of the Nimipoo (1970) written by Eleanor B. Heady
  2. The Boastful Fisherman (1970) written by William Knowlton
  3. Feathered Ones and Furry (1971) written by Aileen Fisher
  4. The Scarecrow Clock (1971) written by George Mendoza
  5. Do Bears Have Mothers Too? (1973) written by Aileen Fisher
  6. Why Noah Chose the Dove (1974) written by Isaac Bashevis Singer
  7. The Hole in the Dike (1975) retold by Norma B. Green
  8. Otter Nonsense (1982) written by Norton Juster
  9. Chip Has Many Brothers (1983) written by Hans Baumann
  10. The Foolish Tortoise (1985) written by Richard Buckley
  11. The Greedy Python (1985) written by Richard Buckley
  12. The Mountain That Loved a Bird (1985) written by Alice McLerran
  13. The Lamb and the Butterfly (1988) written by Arnold Sundgaard

My Very First Book Series

The My Very First Book series uses split pages and simple matching activities to introduce colors, numbers, shapes, words, animals, and everyday objects.

  1. My Very First Book of Colors (1974)
  2. My Very First Book of Numbers (1974)
  3. My Very First Book of Shapes (1974)
  4. My Very First Book of Words (1974)
  5. My Very First Book of Food (1986)
  6. My Very First Book of Growth (1986)
  7. My Very First Book of Heads and Tails (1986)
  8. My Very First Book of Homes (1986)
  9. My Very First Book of Motion (1986)
  10. My Very First Book of Sounds (1986)
  11. My Very First Book of Tools (1986)
  12. My Very First Book of Touch (1986)

Eric Carle Collections and Other Books

Story, Poetry, and Folklore Collections

Carle retold and illustrated classic stories in several early collections. Eric Carle’s Treasury of Classic Stories for Children brings together selections from his Brothers Grimm, Hans Christian Andersen, and Aesop books.

  1. Eric Carle’s Storybook: Seven Tales by the Brothers Grimm (1976)
  2. Seven Stories by Hans Christian Andersen (1978)
  3. Twelve Tales from Aesop (1980)
  4. The Rabbit and the Turtle (1988)
  5. Eric Carle’s Treasury of Classic Stories for Children (1988)
  6. Animals, Animals (1989) poems selected by Laura Whipple
  7. Dragons, Dragons (1991) poems selected by Laura Whipple

Art, Memoir, and Creative Books

These books offer a closer look at Carle’s life, art, memories, and collage process.

  1. The Art of Eric Carle (1996)
  2. Flora and Tiger (1997)
  3. You Can Make a Collage (1998)

Eric Carle and Friends Collections

These collaborative books feature work from Carle alongside other illustrators and picture-book creators.

  1. All in a Day (1986) edited by Mitsumasa Anno
  2. Artist to Artist (2007)
  3. What’s Your Favorite Animal? (2014)
  4. What’s Your Favorite Color? (2017)
  5. What’s Your Favorite Bug? (2018)
  6. What’s Your Favorite Food? (2019)

Selected World of Eric Carle Books

The World of Eric Carle line uses his artwork and familiar characters in concept books, sound books, vocabulary books, search-and-find stories, and simple science introductions. The imprint also includes many seasonal, activity, and novelty books, so this list focuses on the more substantial and distinctive titles.

  1. Eric Carle’s ABC (1999)
  2. Count with the Very Hungry Caterpillar (2006)
  3. Eric Carle’s Opposites (2007)
  4. The Very Busy Spider’s Favorite Words (2007)
  5. The Very Hungry Caterpillar’s Favorite Words (2007)
  6. Colors/Colores (2008)
  7. The Very Quiet Cricket’s Favorite Words (2008)
  8. The Very Clumsy Click Beetle’s Favorite Words (2008)
  9. The Very Hungry Caterpillar’s Buggy Book (2009)
  10. Around the Farm (2013)
  11. Hear Bear Roar (2014)
  12. Eric Carle’s How Things Grow (2015)
  13. The Very Hungry Caterpillar’s ABC (2016)
  14. The Very Hungry Caterpillar’s 123 (2017)
  15. Where Is the Very Hungry Caterpillar? (2017)
  16. Can a Cat Do That? (2018)
  17. Sleep Tight, Very Hungry Caterpillar (2018)
  18. The Very Hungry Caterpillar’s Birthday Party (2019)
  19. Eric Carle’s Book of Many Things (2019)
  20. Where Is the Sun? (2019)
  21. Can You Guess? (2020)
  22. How Does a Seed Sprout? (2022)
  23. How Does a Tadpole Grow? (2022)
  24. Wonderful You (2022)
  25. Eric Loves Animals (2023)
  26. Why Does the Wind Blow? (2025)

How Many Books Did Eric Carle Write?

Eric Carle created or illustrated more than 70 picture books during his career, and he wrote most of them himself. There isn’t one universal total because some lists count only his original books, while others include illustrated collaborations, retellings, collections, reissues, and later World of Eric Carle titles.

The number grows much larger when every holiday book, activity book, boxed set, bilingual edition, and novelty format is counted. This guide keeps Carle’s own work and meaningful collaborations at the center.

About Eric Carle

Eric Carle was born in Syracuse, New York, and spent much of his childhood and education in Germany. He returned to New York in 1952 and worked as a graphic designer before moving into advertising and freelance illustration.

Bill Martin Jr. noticed a red lobster Carle had created for an advertisement and asked him to illustrate Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?. That book began Carle’s picture-book career. He followed it with 1, 2, 3 to the Zoo, his first wholly original book, and then The Very Hungry Caterpillar.

Carle created his illustrations by painting tissue paper, cutting it into shapes, and layering the pieces into collages. He also experimented with die-cut pages, foldouts, lights, and sound to make his books playful for young readers.

Carle was drafted into the U.S. Army during the Korean War and stationed in Germany as a mail clerk. He later received the Children’s Literature Legacy Award for his lasting contribution to children’s books. He died in 2021.

Looking for more books in order?

If you want more authors and reading-order guides like this one, start with my Books in Order index.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *