On perusing American collage artist Eric Carle's book, "Rooster's Off to See the World," at an annual school book fair, the author, mesmerized by the carnival of colors and collage on each page, thought "What a wonderful visual aid for a combination painting and collage unit." Her first-graders were involved in a painting unit, and knowing their enthusiasm for mixing colors, cutting and pasting, and a good book, she sought to expand their creative experiences. The author often uses an artist, past or present, as a stepping stone toward the lesson or unit objectives. Incorporating the work of Eric Carle as such a stepping stone, she introduced the featured artist, beginning with "Once upon a real time ... " and included a photo or portrait of the artist with personal information concerning the artist's childhood, family, schooling, and achievements. Using books of Carle's, the author demonstrated the technique of collage, explaining Carle had actually painted his collage papers and then cut these into the shapes he needed for his work. Then her students had enough time after the introduction to practice creating a simple collage on 8.5" x 11" copier paper, using a variety of papers from scrap boxes. Through these activities, primary students will learn to define and understand the term "collage;" view and discuss the art of Eric Carle; practice the technique of collage; recognize the warm, cool, and neutral color families; design a series of painted papers; and create a rooster collage. (Contains 2 resources. A third resource, artsandactivities.com, leads to links to websites related to this article.)