Perhaps you recognize the name: Eric Carle (pronounced “Carl”). He is best known for his 1969 book The Very Hungry Caterpillar, and has also written or illustrated over 70 other titles. Along with his wife, Barbara, Eric Carle founded the not-for-profit Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art in November 2002.

The mission of the museum is to “inspire, especially in children and their families, an appreciation for and an understanding of the art of the picture book.” According to its website, the Eric Carle museum is “first full-scale museum in this country devoted to national and international picture book art, conceived and built with the aim of celebrating the art we know first.” A quick Google search confirmed this: there really are not many museums dedicated to the art of the picture book.

At first I was not fazed by this. Such a museum sounds cool, I reasoned, but I’ve never heard of other picture book museums so they must not be that important. Upon further thought, however, I am surprised. Why aren’t there many picture book museums? Picture books comprise the first art we are exposed to in our lifetimes! Picture books contribute to development, comprehension, language acquisition, and many other important skills. Ideally, they also foster an early appreciation for a good story, which remains with us for the rest of our lives.

I found only four other comparable museums in the depths of Google. The University of Findlay (Ohio) has the Mazza Museum, a teaching museum of picture book art established in 1982. If you’re ever in Japan, you could visit the Oshima Picture Book Museum. Troisdorf, Germany, offers the picture book museum Burg Wissem. Otherwise, the Eric Carle Museum is your best bet to explore and appreciate the diverse art of children’s picture books. Next time I find myself in Amherst, Massachusetts, I am definitely paying a visit.