Carl and the Meaning of Life book cover
Pre K - 3

Carl and the Meaning of Life

By Deborah Freedman

From the often Caldecott-buzzed Deborah Freedman, a sweet and funny story about finding your place in the world.

Carl is an earthworm. He spends his days happily tunneling in the soil until a field mouse asks him a simple question that stops him short: “Why?” Carl’s quest takes him on an adventure to meet all the animals of the forest, each of whom seems to know exactly what they were put on this earth to do, unlike the curious Carl. But it’s not until the world around him has changed that Carl begins to realize everyone, no matter how small, makes a big difference just by being themselves.

State Awards

Recommended reading lists from your state's teacher or librarian associations!
  • Colorado
    • CLEL Bell Award, 2020
    • Colorado Children's Book Award, 2021
  • Wisconsin
    • Picture This!, 2020
  • Virginia
    • Virginia Readers' Choice Award 2020-2021
  • Ohio
    • Buckeye Children’s & Teen Book Award, 2020
  • Washington D.C.
    • Capitol Choices Noteworthy Titles, 2020
  • Michigan
    • Great Lakes Great Books, 2020-2021
  • South Carolina
    • South Carolina Picture Book Award 2021-22

Subscribe to our newsletter

Enter your email and date of birth

Month
Day
Year

By clicking Subscribe, I agree to receive news and updates from Penguin Random House about Michelle Obama. I acknowledge that I have read and agree to Penguin Random House's Privacy Policy and Terms of Use and understand that Penguin Random House collects certain categories of personal information for the purposes listed in that policy, discloses, sells, or shares certain personal information and retains personal information in accordance with the policy. You can opt-out of the sale or sharing of personal information anytime.

Sorry, but we are unable to process your request at this time.

Thanks for subscribing!