“I remember that as a child, I always felt I would never grow up and be big and articulate and intelligent,” Carle told The New York Times in 1994. 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. 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. “The Very Hungry Caterpillar,” published in 1969, was welcomed by parents and delighted kids with its story of the metamorphosis of a green and red caterpillar with a touch of blue and brown to a proudly multi-colored butterfly.

I want to show them that learning is really both fascinating and fun.” I believe that children are naturally creative and eager to learn. “In my books I try to counteract this fear, to replace it with a positive message. “The unknown often brings fear with it,” he once observed. Through books like “Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?” “Do You Want to Be My Friend?” and “From Head to Toe,” Carle introduced universal themes in simple words and bright colors. The family’s announcement was issued by Penguin Young Leaders. NEW YORK (AP) - Eric Carle, the beloved children’s author and illustrator whose classic “The Very Hungry Caterpillar” and other works gave millions of kids some of their earliest and most cherished literary memories, has died at age 91.Ĭarle’s family says he died Sunday at his summer studio in Northampton, Massachusetts, with family members at his side.

The very hungry caterpillar book