Eric Carle: The guy who shaped millions of children childhood

CAIRO - 4 June 2021: Eric Carle, author of The Very Hungry Caterpillar, dies recently at 91.

Eric Carle, the beloved children’s author and illustrator whose classic “The Very Hungry Caterpillar” and other works gave millions of children some of their earliest and most cherished literary memories, has died at age 91.

Carle’s family says he died Sunday at his summer studio in Northampton, Massachusetts, with family members at his side. The family’s announcement was issued by Penguin Young Readers. “In the light of the moon, holding on to a good star, a painter of rainbows, is now traveling across the night sky,” his family said in tribute on his website. Carle died from kidney failure, his son Rolf told The New York Times

Carle, a designer, illustrator and author of a string of popular children’s books, including Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? Has sold more than 170 million copies around the world

His most famous book, The Very Hungry Caterpillar, came out in 1969 and is one of the best selling children’s books of all time with more than 55 million copies sold. In total he wrote and illustrated more than 70 books, which have sold more than 170m copies around the world.

“The Very Hungry Caterpillar,” published in 1969, was welcomed by parents and delighted children with its story of the metamorphosis of a green and red caterpillar to a proudly multi-coloured butterfly.

Originally conceived as a book about a bookworm — called “A Week with Willi the Worm” — the hero, who eats through 26 different foods, was changed to a caterpillar on the advice of his editor. It has sold some 40 million copies and has been translated into 60 languages, spawned stuffed animal caterpillars and has been turned into a stage play. “When asked why he thinks The Very Hungry Caterpillar has remained popular for so long, Carle said, ‘I think it is a book of hope. Children need hope. You, little insignificant caterpillar, can grow up into a beautiful butterfly and fly into the world with your talent’,” the statement on his official Instagram account said.

Born to German immigrant parents in Syracuse, New York, Carle and his family returned to Germany — Nazi Germany, at the time —- when he was 6. Under the Nazis, modern, expressionistic and abstract art was banned and only realistic and naturalistic art was permitted.

When Carle was 12 or 13, a high school art teacher would change his life by inviting him to his home, where he secretly showed his expressionist art, including Franz Marc’s “Blue Horse.”

His father introduced him to the wonders of the living creatures that he would later immortalise in his books. “When I was a small child, as far back as I can remember, he would take me by the hand and we would go out in nature,” he told The New York Times in 1994. “And he would show me worms and bugs and bees and ants and explain their lives to me. It was a very loving relationship.”

After graduating from a leading German art school, he returned to the United States in 1952. He worked as a graphic designer in the promotion department of The New York Times before switching to advertising.

His career as a children’s book author only flourished when he was in his late thirties, and he said he was inspired by things he had seen as a young boy.

“In my books I try to counteract this fear, to replace it with a positive message. I believe that children are naturally creative and eager to learn. I want to show them that learning is really both fascinating and fun.”

Carle’s publisher, Penguin Kids, paid tribute to him on Twitter. “Thank you for sharing your great talent with generations of young readers,” they tweeted.

Tributes to the author poured in on social media, including from the rich and famous.

“Eric Carle has died- but he left us the unforgettable Hungry Caterpillar, Brown Bear, Brown Bear- books i read to my children and now my grandchildren,” tweeted actress Mia Farrow. “Loving thoughts with his family and very much gratitude for Mr Carle.”

In addition to his work as a children’s author, Carle was a noted artist and designer. When he was 87, he embarked on a series of cardboard and abstract, collages made from recycled materials depicting angels, which he dedicated to the artist Paul Klee. 

In 2002, Carle and his late wife, Barbara Carle, founded The Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art. Based in Amherst, Massachusetts, the nonprofit, 40,000-square-foot arts center is a showcase for picture book illustrations from around the world. He received lifetime achievement awards from the National Endowment for the Arts and the American Library Association.

He is survived by a son and a daughter.