(Craig Campbell)– Last Friday, my visiting parents and I drove to Hampshire College to take a look at the Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art. For a 10-minute bus ride and $6 admissions fee, I recommend the museum for anyone who has ever read a picture book – that is, everyone.

The gallery displayed original drafts of illustrations from a variety of classic children’s literature, including a special exhibit on Charlotte’s Web, anniversary illustrations by Maurice Sendak, and Carle’s own tissue paper collages that make up the striking images in The Very Hungry Caterpillar. As I browsed the collection, I perceived a distinct sense of familiarity with many of the images; I had evidently read the stories at some point in childhood. Although I couldn’t put a finger on the narrative associated with any of the pictures, I felt, on a visceral level, what I had…