His picture book
The Caterpillar That Makes Holes
has rocked generations of children.
American author and cartoonist Eric Carle died last Sunday at the age of 91, his entourage announced on Wednesday.
Published in 1969,
The caterpillar which makes holes
and its holed pages recounts the adventures of this little insect whose appetite continues to grow.
In the space of a week, the caterpillar bites an apple, two pears, three plums, four strawberries, five oranges, a chocolate cake, cheese… until it becomes a magnificent multicolored butterfly.
Translated into 66 languages, it has sold 50 million copies worldwide.
"It is with a very heavy heart that we announce that Eric Carle, author and designer of
The caterpillar which makes holes
and many other great classics, died Sunday May 23, at the age of 91 years", a writes his team on social networks.
A childhood in Nazi Germany
Born in New York State in 1929 to German parents, Eric Carle grew up in Nazi Germany, a world he called "colorless" on American NPR radio. He graduated from a prestigious art school in Stuttgart. During World War II, his father was drafted into the German army and taken prisoner in Russia, the illustrator told The
New York Times
in an interview in 2007. Eric Carle, then a teenager, survived the aerial bombardment of Stuttgart and avoided military service, but was mobilized to dig trenches on a defensive line in western Germany.
Eric Carle always wanted to return to the United States, and in 1952, "with a beautiful wallet in his hand and forty dollars in his pocket, he arrived in New York", one reads on his website.
The young man was quickly drafted into the US military and sent to Germany, but according to the
Times
he never spoke of his youth under the Nazi government.
"I think it's a book of hope"
After his military service, he worked as a graphic designer in the promotion department of the
New York Times
, then worked as an art director in an advertising agency. He wrote his first children's books in the mid-1960s, including the very famous
Brown Bear, Brown Bear, Tell Me What You See
. The illustrator, known for his use of very bright colors, recounted drawing his inspiration from walks in nature with his father. "He tore the bark from a tree, and showed me all the creatures that lived there," he confided on his site.
On his illustration technique, the collages, Eric Carle assured that he had not invented anything: “Some children have already told me 'Ah that, I know how to do it'.
I take that as the best compliment ”.
Asked why
The Caterpillar That Makes Holes
has remained so popular, Eric Carle said: “I think it's a book of hope.
Children need hope.
You, insignificant little caterpillar, you can become a beautiful butterfly and fly around the world with your talent ”.
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