Washington (AFP)

An apple, two pears, three plums ... American author and illustrator Eric Carle, who rocked generations of children with his colorful book "The caterpillar that makes holes", died at the age of 91, announced his entourage Wednesday.

Cult book with holes in the pages, "The caterpillar who makes holes" tells 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.

The book, published in 1969, has been translated into 66 languages, and sold over 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, passed away on Sunday May 23, at the age of 91", announced his team on social media.

Born in New York State in 1929 to German parents, Eric Carle grew up in Nazi Germany, a world he called "colorless", on American radio NPR.

He graduated from a prestigious art school in Stuttgart.

- Childhood in Germany -

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.

He always wanted to return to the United States, and in 1952, "with a fine wallet in his hand and forty dollars in his pocket, he arrived in New York," reads his website.

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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.

After his military service, he worked as a graphic designer in the promotion department of the New York Times, then worked as 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 off the bark of a tree, and showed me all the creatures that lived there", he confided on his site.

- Picasso, Klee, Matisse -

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 most beautiful compliment", he said.

Paul Klee, Picasso, Matisse were some of his favorite artists.

Many people expressed their grief on Wednesday evening, paying tribute to the author, who marked millions of children.

"Eric Carle is dead - but he left us + The caterpillar that makes holes +, + Brown bear, brown bear + - books that I read to my children and now my grandchildren," the actress tweeted. Mia Farrow.

Asked why this book has remained so popular, Eric Carle confided: "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 ".

In total, Eric Carle will write more than 70 books, sold more than 150 million copies.

Many of them have been translated into French.

He had two children.

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