It was a move that could have landed his teacher, Herr Kraus, in jail.

During this tumultuous time Eric benefited from a kind teacher who shared art with him that was forbidden under Nazi rule, including Expressionist and Abstract art like Klee, Matisse, and Picasso.

Four years later WWII began and his father was drafted into the army and soon missing in action. He remembers a happy childhood there, with glorious “sun filled rooms, large sheets of paper, colorful paints and big fat brushes.” But his mother was desperately homesick, so the Carle family moved back to Germany when he was just six. Each month, in addition to releasing our World of Eric Carle™ + Little Goodall ™ collections, we’ll be sharing fascinating details about Carle’s literary legacy and inspiring new ways to introduce creativity, discovery, and play into your children’s everyday activities.Įric Carle with the 50th Anniversary Golden Edition of T he Very Hungry Caterpillar™įrom Caterpillar to Butterfly Eric Carle was born in Syracuse New York in 1929 to German immigrant parents Johanna and Erich Carle. At Little Goodall we are thrilled to partner with World of Eric Carle™ to celebrate this golden anniversary. First published in 1969, the colorful story of a ravenous little caterpillar munching his way through the week remains as popular today as when it was originally written, three generations and 49 million copies later. “In the light of the moon, a little egg lay on a leaf.” Few opening lines conjure such instant memories of childhood as these from Eric Carle’s beloved classic The Very Hungry Caterpillar™.

The very hungry caterpillar pop up book