Eric Carle (1929–2021)
Author of The Very Hungry Caterpillar
About the Author
Eric Carle is an award-winning, children's picture book author and illustrator whose most recognized work is The Very Hungry Caterpillar Board Book. Carle was born to German parents in 1929 in Syracuse, New York. The family returned to Germany in 1935, moving to a suburb of Stuttgart. Carle show more disliked high school, quitting at the age of 16 before graduation. He was admitted as the youngest student to the Akademie der bildenden Kunste, an art school. After finishing at the Akademie, he worked as a poster designer for the U.S. Information Center in Germany until 1952, when he moved back to New York City. He was a graphic designer at the New York Times and later worked as an art director at L.W. Frohlich & Co. In 1963, Bill Martin, Jr. saw a poster of a red lobster that Carle had designed and asked him to illustrate Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?, thus launching his freelance career. Among his many children's books are Dream Snow, Hello, Red Fox, The Very Clumsy Click Beetle, and Pancakes, Pancakes! His title The Artist Who Painted a Blue Horse made Publisher's Weekly Best Seller List for 2011. His title Brown Bear Brown Bear What to You See? made The New York Times Best Seller List for 2012. In 2015 he made The New Zealand Best Seller List with Love from the Very Hungry Caterpillar. Eric Carle, beloved children's book author and illustrator, died on May 23, 2021. He was 91. (Bowker Author Biography) show less
Image credit: Eric Carle lit son livre « La chenille qui fait des trous » à la télévision, en 2009, à New York
Series
Works by Eric Carle
World of Eric Carle, Around the Farm 30-Button Animal Sound Book - Great for First Words - PI Kids (2011) — Illustrator — 346 copies, 3 reviews
The Very Hungry Caterpillar Eats Breakfast: A Counting Book (The World of Eric Carle) (2021) 177 copies
What's Your Favorite Color? (Eric Carle and Friends' What's Your Favorite, 2) (2017) 142 copies, 4 reviews
The Very Hungry Caterpillar's Finger Puppet Book (The World of Eric Carle) (2010) 134 copies, 2 reviews
Eric Carle's Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star and Other Nursery Rhymes: A Lift-the-Flap Book (The World of Eric Carle) (2021) 114 copies
Animals/Animales: My Very First Bilingual Book (The World of Eric Carle) (Spanish Edition) (2008) 109 copies
Happy Birthday from The Very Hungry Caterpillar (The World of Eric Carle) (2019) 105 copies, 1 review
Happy Halloween from The Very Busy Spider: A Lift-the-Flap Book (The World of Eric Carle) (2020) 73 copies, 2 reviews
Merry Christmas from The Very Hungry Caterpillar (The World of Eric Carle) (2017) 70 copies, 3 reviews
What's Your Favorite Bug? (Eric Carle and Friends' What's Your Favorite, 3) (2018) 60 copies, 2 reviews
Where Is The Very Hungry Caterpillar?: A Lift-the-Flap Book (The World of Eric Carle) (2017) 55 copies, 1 review
A Day on the Farm with The Very Hungry Caterpillar: A Tabbed Board Book (The World of Eric Carle) (2021) 42 copies
Can You Guess? Animal Sounds with The Very Hungry Caterpillar (The World of Eric Carle) (2021) 42 copies
The Eric Carle Ready-to-Read Collection: Have You Seen My Cat?; The Greedy Python; Pancakes, Pancakes!; Rooster Is Off… (2014) 40 copies
The Very Hungry Caterpillar / The Very Lonely Firefly / The Very Busy Spider (2002) 40 copies, 2 reviews
The Very Hungry Caterpillar's Snowy Hide & Seek: A Finger Trail Lift-the-Flap Book (The World of Eric Carle) (2020) 39 copies
How Does a Tadpole Grow?: Life Cycles with The Very Hungry Caterpillar (The World of Eric Carle) (2022) 39 copies
How Does a Seed Sprout?: Life Cycles with The Very Hungry Caterpillar (The World of Eric Carle) (2022) 38 copies
Twelve Tales from Aesop: Retold and Illustrated (English and German Edition) (1980) 33 copies, 2 reviews
How Does an Egg Hatch?: Life Cycles with The Very Hungry Caterpillar (The World of Eric Carle) (2022) 31 copies
How Does a Caterpillar Change?: Life Cycles with The Very Hungry Caterpillar (The World of Eric Carle) (2022) 30 copies
What's Your Favorite Food? (Eric Carle and Friends' What's Your Favorite, 4) (2019) 27 copies, 1 review
The Eric Carle Library Featuring 8 Classic Board Books Boxed Set [The Greedy Python, The Foolish Toroise, Rooster's Off… (2013) 21 copies
The Very Hungry Caterpillar's Forest Hide & Seek: A Finger Trail Lift-the-Flap Book (The World of Eric Carle) (2021) 20 copies
Quick and Slow (The World of Eric Carle) 19 copies
Can You Guess?: Animals with The Very Hungry Caterpillar (The World of Eric Carle) (2020) 17 copies, 1 review
The Very Hungry Caterpillar Eats Snacks: An Opposites Book (The World of Eric Carle) (2022) 14 copies
The Very Hungry Caterpillar's Garden Picnic: A Scratch-and-Sniff Book (The World of Eric Carle) (2020) 11 copies, 1 review
Can You Guess?: Food with The Very Hungry Caterpillar (The World of Eric Carle) (2020) 11 copies, 2 reviews
Baby Bear's Busy Day with Brown Bear and Friends (World of Eric Carle) (The World of Eric Carle) (2023) 11 copies, 1 review
Eric Carle's bugs and buddies 10 copies
Up and Down 8 copies
The Eric Carle Gift Set: The Tiny Seed; Pancakes, Pancakes!; A House for Hermit Crab; Rooster's Off to See the… (2013) 8 copies
The Very Hungry Caterpillar's First 100 Words / Primeras 100 palabras: A Spanish-English Bilingual Book (2021) 6 copies
The Complete Car Book 6 copies
Day and Night 6 copies
The Very Hungry Caterpillar at the Bakeshop: A Peek-Through Book with Raised Pieces (World of Eric Carle; Very Hungry… (2023) 5 copies, 1 review
Under the Sea 5 copies
Bear and Friends 5 copies
The Very Hungry Caterpillar's Nature Walk: A Search-and-Find Book (World of Eric Carle) (2024) 4 copies
Jump! 4 copies
What Do Animals Eat? 4 copies
Cat & Dog 3 copies
Small Wonders 3 copies
Bird Calls 3 copies
Eric Carle Ready-to-Read Value Pack: Have You Seen My Cat?; Walter the Baker; The Greedy Python; Rooster Is Off to See… (2016) 3 copies
Queres Brincar Comigo? 2 copies
Chatter, Chirp, Bark & Buzz 2 copies
The Very Hungry Caterpillar {video} 2 copies
What Do You See? 2 copies
Look and Find Birds 2 copies
Cat and Dog 2 copies
Pets preschool discovery pack 2 copies
In the backyard 2 copies
The Very Hungry Caterpillar (Touch & Feel Picture Books, Includes Text in Braille) [Hardcover] [Jan 01, 2006] Eric… (2006) 2 copies
10 κίτρινα παπάκια 1 copy
Look and Find Words 1 copy
Little Book of Thanks from Brown Bear and Friends (World of Eric Carle) (The World of Eric Carle) (2024) 1 copy
The World of Eric Carle set [Wonderful Words, Color & Shapes, Big Beautiful World, one Two Three] 1 copy
O Pirilampo muito só 1 copy
Jump 1 copy
Brown Bear and Friends 1 copy
Look and Find ABC Letters 1 copy
Up in the Sky 1 copy
Colors 1 copy
Look and Find words 1 copy
A joaninha mal-humorada 1 copy
Meet Eric Carle! 1 copy
the Grouchy Ladybug 1 copy
Very Busy Spider 1 copy
Learn to Count! 123 1 copy
The Very Lonley Firefly 1 copy
L'erugueta golafre. Un llibre de tela per abraçar (Col·lecció Eric Carle): Un llibre de tela sensorial per llegir,… (2024) 1 copy
Rhyming & Opposites 1 copy
Colors & Numbers 1 copy
On the Farm 1 copy
Alphabet Puzzle 1 copy
Raupe Nimmersatt & Co. 1 copy
Het Kameleon is in de war 1 copy
numbers 1 copy
When I'm BIG 1 copy
Look and Find: Letters (2/4) 1 copy
Look and Find: Colors (1/4) 1 copy
Look and Find: Numbers (3/4) 1 copy
Explore The Backyard 1 copy
Discover the Woodlands 1 copy
Die kleine Maus sucht einen Freund. Kamishibai Bildkartenset.: Entdecken - Erzählen - Begreifen:… (2019) 1 copy
On board pages. 1 copy
Rupsje Nooitgenoeg Babyboek 1 copy
My First Peek-A-Book Animals 1 copy
Die kleine Raupe Nimmersatt - Geschenkset Pappbilderbuch mit PlanToys®-Holzraupe: Geschenkset Pappbilderbuch mit… (2019) 1 copy
Passt auf,ein Riese! 1 copy
Very Hungry Caterpillar, The 1 copy
Animals All Around 1 copy
Walk Through the Seasons 1 copy
Down in the Deep 1 copy
Flutter, Fly, Sing, and Spin 1 copy
Feathery Friends 1 copy
To Grow a Seed 1 copy
Come to the Table 1 copy
Day to Night 1 copy
The very hungry caterpillars 1 copy
Eric Carle 6 Classic Tales 1 copy
Associated Works
Golden Legacy: How Golden Books Won Children's Hearts, Changed Publishing Forever, and Became An American Icon Along… (2007) — Foreword — 153 copies, 6 reviews
The Graphic Canon of Children's Literature: The World's Greatest Kids' Lit as Comics and Visuals (2014) — Contributor — 92 copies, 1 review
Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? / Polar Bear, Polar Bear, What Do You Hear? / Panda Bear, Panda Bear, What Do… (2003) — Illustrator — 43 copies, 2 reviews
For Our Children: A Book to Benefit the Pediatric AIDS Foundation (1991) — Illustrator — 30 copies, 1 review
Tagged
Common Knowledge
- Birthdate
- 1929-06-25
- Date of death
- 2021-05-23
- Gender
- male
- Nationality
- USA (birth)
Germany - Country (for map)
- Germany
- Birthplace
- Syracuse, New York, USA
- Place of death
- Northampton, Massachusetts, USA
- Cause of death
- kidney failure
- Places of residence
- Stuttgart, Baden-Württemberg, Germany
New York, New York, USA
Northampton, Massachusetts, USA
Key West, Florida, USA - Education
- Akademie der bildenden Kunste, Stuttgart
- Occupations
- illustrator
magazine art director
children's book author - Organizations
- United States Army
Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art - Awards and honors
- Laura Ingalls Wilder Medal (2003)
Officers Cross of the Order of Merit, Federal Republic of Germany (2001)
Society of Illustrators Lifetime Achievement Award (Contemporary ∙ 2010)
Regina Medal (1999)
Japan Picture Book Award (200)
Members
Reviews
The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle
Keeps young readers' attention and excited about what happens next. The colors are perfect for grabbing their attention and the smaller pages with holes that align with what he ate and how much he ate, makes it fun.
Independent Reading Level: Kindergarten - Second Grade
Awards: 1969: The New York Times named it one of the "Ten Best Picture Books of the Year"
1970: Won the American Institute of Graphic Arts Award and Best Children's Books of England
1972: Won the Selection du Grand Prix des Treize in France
1975: Won the Nakamori Reader's Prize in Japan
1973, 1976, 1977: Received a Brooklyn Museum of Art Books for Children Citation
1995: Received a Children's Booksellers' Choices award from the Association of Booksellers for Children
2003: Was listed in the BBC's Big Read poll as one of the United Kingdom's best loved books
2007: Was listed as one of the National Education Association's "Teachers' Top 100 Books for Children"
2019: Won the Sainsbury Children's Book Awards' best children's classic award… (more)
Awards: 1969: The New York Times named it one of the "Ten Best Picture Books of the Year"
1970: Won the American Institute of Graphic Arts Award and Best Children's Books of England
1972: Won the Selection du Grand Prix des Treize in France
1975: Won the Nakamori Reader's Prize in Japan
1973, 1976, 1977: Received a Brooklyn Museum of Art Books for Children Citation
1995: Received a Children's Booksellers' Choices award from the Association of Booksellers for Children
2003: Was listed in the BBC's Big Read poll as one of the United Kingdom's best loved books
2007: Was listed as one of the National Education Association's "Teachers' Top 100 Books for Children"
2019: Won the Sainsbury Children's Book Awards' best children's classic award… (more)
Lexile Measure of 460
The Very Hungry Caterpillar did not win the Caldecott Medal but was a Caldecott Honor book, which is an acknowledgment of its excellence in illustrations. Eric Carle’s distinctive collage-style artwork is a hallmark of the book’s lasting appeal.
The Very Hungry Caterpillar did not win the Caldecott Medal but was a Caldecott Honor book, which is an acknowledgment of its excellence in illustrations. Eric Carle’s distinctive collage-style artwork is a hallmark of the book’s lasting appeal.
Independent Reading Level: Grades K-2
Awards: American Institute of Graphic Arts Award (1970)
Awards: American Institute of Graphic Arts Award (1970)
Lists
1970 Club (1)
BBC Big Read (1)
Garden (1)
Awards
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Associated Authors
Statistics
- Works
- 516
- Also by
- 24
- Members
- 132,878
- Popularity
- #51
- Rating
- 4.1
- Reviews
- 3,720
- ISBNs
- 2,170
- Languages
- 38
- Favorited
- 63
