Eric Carle, author of The Very Hungry Caterpillar



The Very Hungry Caterpillar, the classic children's picture book written and illustrated by Eric Carle, is 45 on 20 March 2014.

The Very Hungry Caterpillar remains one of the most read children's books in the UK and has sold over 36 million copies worldwide since its publication in 1969. The book has been translated into more than 55 languages, and has sold the equivalent of a copy per minute since its release.

Eric, now 80, talked to Parentdish about his famous red and green friend with the enormous appetite, and his other books, which include Do You Want To Be My Friend?, The Bad-Tempered Ladybird and Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?.

What was your favourite book as a child?
I didn't have many books growing up, but I do have fond memories of sitting on my father's lap while he read the Sunday Funny pages to me. I particularly enjoyed Mickey Mouse and Flash Gordon.

What was your inspiration for The Very Hungry Caterpillar?
The idea for this story came to me while punching holes in a stack of paper. I thought of a book worm and first wrote a book called A Week with Willi Worm. My editor Ann Beneduce didn't like the idea of a worm so she suggested a caterpillar. Immediately I said 'butterfly!' and the rest is history.

How did you choose the foods the caterpillar eats and were there any you ditched because they were too disgusting or you had too many?
The food in my book came out of my imagination - perhaps entertaining that child inside of me.
The original storyline had a banana in it, but it wasn't used in the final edit.

Do you still get fan mail for The Very Hungry Caterpillar?
I still get lots of letters and emails from fans - both adults and children alike - about the book. Most readers contact me now through my website and Facebook page.

The very hungry caterpillar


What's your favourite out of all the books you have written and illustrated?
My favourite book is Do You Want to be My Friend? because friendship is so important to children. But there is a special place in my heart for The Very Hungry Caterpillar.

What changes have you seen to children's literature over the past years and what would you like to see happen to it in the future?
The introduction of computers has been the biggest change in the creation and publishing of books in recent history. But for a book to succeed in my mind it still needs to be well-designed.

I love books - the feel of the paper and the weight of a book in my hands. But I also know that change is a part of life; technology and the development of the ebook is a part of the evolution of our world. It has been this way since the very beginning. Cave men once wrote stories in pictures on stone, later the book was invented and so on and so forth. So these changes to the creation of literature are inevitable, just like anything else.

What would you say to parents who don't spend a lot of time reading with their children?
I did not have many books as a child, but to me, what was important was the closeness I felt when I sat with my father and read the Sunday funny pages. When you sit with your child and read it conveys so much more than just reading, which is something to always remember.

What are your tips for making reading fun?
With my own books I have tried to add fun, tactile and toy-like qualities, such as holes in pages, sounds and lights. The transition from home to school was not an easy time in my own childhood, so I've created books that are both entertaining and include a little learning - books you can play with and toys you can read. I hope my books will help to make this transition easier for other children.


This article is from Parentdish


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