The Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art, the first full-scale museum in the United States devoted to international picture book art, opened on November 4, 2002, in Amherst, Massachusetts. Mr. Carle, the author and illustrator of more than 70 books, including the 1969 classic "The Very Hungry Caterpillar," donated nearly 1,400 original works to the museum, which has long been a dream of his and his wife Barbara. Set in a seven-acre apple orchard, the museum offers programs for all ages and features temporary exhibits of noted picture book author/illustrators such as Maurice Sendak and Nancy Ekholm Burkert.

Why is Mr. Carle a favorite of CLI? This excerpt from the museum's mission statement says it well: "Through the exploration of images that are familiar and beloved, it is our aim to foster connections between visual and verbal literacy and to provide visitors of all ages and backgrounds with the confidence to appreciate and enjoy art of every kind." By populating his work with objects that invite the reader to explore, Eric Carle not only fosters a love of books but also childhood memories that last a lifetime.

His combination of inventive graphics and interesting stories that capture children's perspective and emotions make Mr. Carle a favorite for author studies. CLI is pleased to offer Author Packs of his work for pre-K, kindergarten, and first grade, containing a selection of his books plus his photograph and biographical information.

You can visit the museum's web site at http://www.picturebookart.org/

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CLI will soon have a conference center devoted solely to professional development for educators. The center, which will open in May, will offer CLI's institutes, seminars, workshops, and study groups for teachers and principals in a specifically designed professional setting.

What sort of programs will be offered there? All of the following CLI programs will be available for early childhood educators in the Greater Philadelphia area:

• Three-day Institutes for Teachers
• Four-day Institutes for New Teachers
• Principals' Institutes for Literacy Leadership
• One-day seminars
• Principals' Study Group meetings
• After-school workshops

The conference center will provide a comfortable, professional environment for educators, with plenty of meeting space, a dining area, and all the audio-visual equipment necessary for presentations during institutes and seminars. The center is easy to get to: it's close to several parking lots, and public transit (including 30th Street Station) is only a block away.

In addition to CLI's professional activities, the center will also be available for meetings and conferences by other groups; it has three rooms seating 13 to 15 and a larger conference room that seats 50.

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Principals who had attended a summer Institute in literacy leadership met again this winter to review how real-life application of the skills and tools acquired had worked or not worked, and why. Two days of brainstorming and sharing feedback gave the group an opportunity to refine plans made after the Institute, as well as to make next step recommendations. In addition, the seminar focused on using data to drive decision-making, giving participants additional tools to explore and use in their schools.

The original Institute, held by CLI and Temple University's Laboratory for Student Success, focused on the "Blueprint for Literacy" developed by CLI and the principal's role in improving literacy instruction. While participating in a wide variety of professional development activities, participating principals from across the country created action plans to implement the "Blueprint for Literacy" in their own schools.

What was most heartening at the reunion, according to Dr. Jack McGovern, CLI's Deputy Director of Program Development, was the positive attitude of the group so far into the school year. Despite the fact that the principals were under great stress from the challenges their respective schools faced, they maintained high levels of enthusiasm towards providing literacy leadership.

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