Eric Carle

Eric Carle was born in Syracuse, New York, in 1929. His parents were immigrants from Germany, and in 1935, the family returned to Stuttgart. At the age of 16, he was accepted into the Akademie der bildenden Künste, an experience that opened up a whole new world for him. At 22, he returned to New York, where he worked as a graphic designer. In the mid-1960s, he collaborated with the renowned educator and author Bill Martin Jr., and their collaboration in illustration paved the way for Carle's true career. Nearly in his forties, he began writing and illustrating children's books, including the highly popular "The Very Hungry Caterpillar." This book, which essentially speaks of hope, assures young children that they will soon grow up and spread their own wings. All of his books, which have been translated into most of the world's languages, also relate to nature, the animal kingdom, the foundations of ecology, and raising children's awareness of these topics. In 2002, together with his wife Barbara, he founded the Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art in Massachusetts, inspired by similar museums in Japan, where he observed the manner and respect with which this art form was presented.