Children’s author Eric Carle dies

Beloved children’s author and illustrator Eric Carle died Sunday in Northampton, Mass. He was 91. His most famous work, The Very Hungry Caterpillar, has sold more than 30 million copies in more than 60 languages since it was published in 1969. Carle wrote and/or illustrated more than 75 books.

How did Carle get his start? Born to German immigrants in 1929 in Syracuse, N.Y., Carle said his artistic bent was encouraged by his kindergarten teacher and the school’s “sun-filled room, large sheets of paper, colorful paints, and fat brushes.”

At age 6 he and his family moved to Stuttgart, Germany, then under the rule of Adolf Hilter. In World War II Germany, art remained Carle’s passion even when he could not pursue it. He went to art school at age 16 only to be expelled due to a lack of talent.

Carle returned to the United States in 1952 and landed a job in the advertising department of The New York Times. He then became a graphic designer and illustrator.

Carle’s illustration of Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? led to writing his own books. An editor turned his first idea about a “bookworm” into The Very Hungry Caterpillar.

Dig Deeper: Watch as Eric Carle reads The Very Hungry Caterpillar.