<B>Eric Carle</B> well-known creator of many beloved picture books for small readers and listeners, including such classics as <I>Papa, Please Get the Moon for Me, The Tiny Seed, Rooster's Off to See the World, A House for Hermit Crab,</I> and <I>The Very Hungry Caterpillar.</I> He is especially celebrated for his unique ability to combine learning with pleasure. Children delight in the distinctive beauty of his illustrations -- richly layered collages in glowing colors -- and they love his entertaining stories, which invite them to make their own discoveries in a natural, joyful way.<P>Born in Syracuse, New York, Eric Carle received much of his education in Germany. He is a graduate of the Akademie der bildenden Künste in Stuttgart, where he learned about Goethe's color theory and complementary colors. But the chief inspiration for <I>Hello, Red Fox</I> came from his talks with young readers themselves, who were surprised and fascinated when he demonstrated for them -- just like in this book -- that all colors have opposites.<P>Eric Carle has two grown children. He and his wife live in western Massachusetts.