The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle

It was out of the grimness of those dark and loveless days that he believed he had evolved his longing for bright and joyful colors. But he said that his parents, who were German immigrants, returned to Germany in 1936 when he was 6 years old and that his teacher at a school in Stuttgart was a cold, unfriendly person who had no interest in the artistry of children.

He said that he had “a perfectly happy kindergarten year” and a first-grade teacher, “old Miss Frickey,” whom he remembered fondly because she was “kind and supportive” about his love of drawing. In some of his letters he described his childhood and early education in Syracuse, N.Y., where he was born in 1929. “It’s just how they eat cake.”) He said it was part of a “nonsense book” that he hadn’t finished yet. But the image of the man was upside down. Another was of a man and his wife sitting in their kitchen eating cake with chocolate frosting. One was of a yellow duck - it looked more like a chicken - that was wearing pinstripe trousers and had big light-pink feet. It was the last of many letters, some typed, others handwritten, he had sent me through the years.Ĭarle, who died in May, often sent me pictures, too, sometimes a collage that he was working on. He stayed inside for more than 2 weeks.I’ve been looking at a letter from Eric Carle, written in a frail script in 2019, in which he told me that his health was failing. He built a small house, called a cocoon around himself.He was a big, fat, c a t e r p i l l a r. Now, the c a t e r p i l l a r was no longer small.The very hungry C a t e r p i l l a r then ate through one green leaf.On Saturday he ate through 1 piece of chocolate cake ,.On Friday he ate through 5 oranges, but he was still hungry.On Thursday he ate through 4 strawberries, but he was still hungry.On Wednesday he ate through 3 plums, but he was still hungry.On Tuesday he ate through 2 pears, but he was still hungry.One Sunday morning the warm sun came up and - pop! - out of the egg came a tiny and very hungry C a t e r p i l l a r.In the light of the moon a little egg lay on a leaf.The Very Hungry C a t e r p i l l a r by Eric Carle.

The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle