'The Very Hungry Caterpillar' creator Eric Carle dies
May 27, 2021
Carle has more than 70 books to his name, and was known for his signature colorful style of art. His family said he died on Sunday as a result of kidney failure. He is survived by a son and daughter.
Carle had more than 70 titles to his name.Image: Jim Gipe/Eric Carle Studio/dpa/picture alliance
Advertisement
Renowned American children's author and illustrator Eric Carle, best known for his book The Very Hungry Caterpillar, has died aged 91. He is survived by a son and a daughter.
Carle passed away on Sunday, at his home in Northampton, Massachusetts. His son informed The New York Times that he had died of kidney failure.
The universe of beloved illustrator and author Eric Carle
Eric Carle's "The Very Hungry Caterpillar" remains a children's classic 50 years after it was published. It's being celebrated with an exhibition at the Wilhelm Busch Museum for Caricature and Drawings in Hanover.
Image: 1977 Eric Carle
The world's most famous caterpillar
Having sold more than 50 million copies, Eric Carle's "The Very Hungry Caterpillar" is a mainstay in children's libraries. And in their imaginations: as it nibbles away at bright fruits, lollipops and other sweets. Yet the tale was not supposed to glorify gluttony, but to "entertain one's inner child" and to be "a story of hope" for children, said Carle.
Image: 1969, 1987 Eric Carle
Children's books instead of advertising
Carle, a US-American, was once an art director at a New York advertising agency. One of his ad illustrations of a red lobster proved to be so popular that that the editor of a large publishing house commissioned him to illustrate the children's book "Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?" Having enjoyed the process so much, Carle decided to become a children's book author and illustrator.
Image: Eric Carle Studio
Insect enthusiast
As a child, Carle often went on walks with his father, who took the opportunity to explain the world of insects to him. He later had the idea of creating a book on insects like caterpillars and beetles as metaphors for childhood. His message to children: "I too can spread my wings and fly into the world."
Image: Eric Carle
Collages and drawings
Using a technique inspired by Picasso, Carle paints on thin tissue paper, then cuts the colored surfaces into the desired shapes before drying and gluing the pieces of paper together to form a picture. "The Very Quiet Cricket" showcases this trademark technique.
Image: 1990 Eric Carle
Encouraging empathy
Both as illustrator and author, Carle has published more than 70 books in his lifetime. "The Grouchy Ladybug," created in 1977, tells of a big-mouthed beetle who wants to pick a fight with everybody. This all changes when another ladybug generously shares a leaf.
Image: 1977 Eric Carle
A plea for relaxation
Published in 2002, the book "'Slowly, Slowly, Slowly,' said the Sloth" tells the tale of a sloth who lives in a tree. When the other jungle animals accuse the sloth of being lazy and slow, the sloth responds, "It is true that I am slow, quiet, and boring. I am relaxed and tranquil, and I like to live in peace, but I am not lazy." The work is a significant commentary on hectic modern life.
Image: 2002 Eric Carle
6 images1 | 6
He had more than 70 titles to his name, including Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?, The Grouchy Ladybug and Papa, Please Get the Moon for Me.
But Carle's best known work would be The Very Hungry Caterpillar, which was published in 1969, translated into more than 60 languages, and sold more than 50 million copies. The story is about caterpillar that hatches from an egg, eats its way through different types of food, and then pupates before turning into a butterfly.
To this day, the book is a staple for younger children: here's the Duchess of Cornwall reading from the book on a trip to a Coventry library this past TuesdayImage: Joe Giddens/PA Wire/empics/picture alliance
Tributes poured in for Carle, including from author Peter H. Reynolds, who tweeted "Heaven just got more colorful."
German origins, American dreams
Carle was born in 1929 in Syracuse, in New York state, to parents of German origins. They took him back to Germany in 1935 when he was 6. He returned to the United States in the 1950s, after studying at the State Academy of Fine Arts, Stuttgart. He had painful memories from his time in Nazi Germany, which made him want to return to the US.
The German title of the popular book roughly translates as 'The little caterpillar Never-full'Image: Christophe Gateau/dpa/picture alliance
After working as a graphic designer with The New York Times he had a brief stint working in advertising. He was first noticed by author Bill Martin Jr., who noticed his drawing of a red lobster, and asked him to collaborate for a picture book.
Carle's signature artwork consisted of a collage of hand-painted papers, which were layered to form bright colorful images. He went on to write and illustrate more than 70 books, sometimes co-authored, but mostly as a solo writer.
The author was married twice. Along with his second wife Barbara Morrison, he founded the non profit Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art in Massachusetts.