Eric Carle: “The Very Hungry Caterpillar” author dies at the age of 91

Eric Carle
“The Very Hungry Caterpillar” author dies at the age of 91

Author Eric Carle and his cult book “The Very Hungry Caterpillar”.

© imago images / ZUMA Press

Eric Carle, creator of the children’s cult book “The Very Hungry Caterpillar”, has died. The German-American author was 91 years old.

The German-American children’s book author and illustrator Eric Carle (1929-2021), who wrote the cult book “Die kleine Raupe Nimmersatt” (1969), was in a circle on Sunday at the age of 91 in his summer studio in Northampton, Massachusetts his family died of kidney failure. That’s what his son said, Rolf the “New York Times”.

Goosebumps message from his team

His team also said goodbye in touching words: “When asked why he thinks the very hungry caterpillar has remained popular for so long, Carle said, ‘I think it’s a book of hope. Children need hope. You, little one insignificant caterpillar, can grow into a beautiful butterfly and fly into the world with your talent. ‘ Thank you, Eric Carle, for sharing your great talent with so many generations of young readers “, wrote the employees on Instagram.

Eerie success of the voracious little caterpillar

“The Very Hungry Caterpillar” has sold more than 55 million copies worldwide since it was first published in 1969, and its only 224 words have been translated into more than 70 languages. It is one of more than 70 books Eric Carle has published over the course of his career and has sold more than 170 million copies according to his publisher, Penguin Random House.

Between the worlds

Eric Carle was born in Syracuse, a city in the US state of New York. His parents were German emigrants who returned home. And so Eric Carle lived in Stuttgart from 1935 to 1952. In 1952 he returned to the USA and became art director at a New York advertising agency. Eric Carle spoke German without an accent. He leaves behind a son and a daughter. His second wife died in 2015.

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