Eric Carle is perhaps best known to the world as the writer and illustrator of one of the most beloved children’s books of all time; The Very Hungry Caterpillar. For generations children and parents alike have loved and read the works of this great Renaissance man. Few writers can bridge the generational gap; even fewer can do that while working as both writer and illustrator. But Eric Carle has never let the uncommon slow him down.
 Eric Carle was born in Syracuse, New York and raised in Germany from the age of six. He finished all of his education in Germany where he even attended the Akademie der bildenden Künste the prestigious art school in Stuttgart. It was here that he developed a love of art and developed his well-known style of collage work that he has employed in his many different written works including The Very Hungry Caterpillar.

After returning to New York to try his hand at illustrating he began working at The New York Times. After working as a graphic designer for many years he was offered the chance to collaborate with a well known writer Bill Martin Jr. shortly after meeting the two worked together on Martin’s Brown Bear, Brown bear, What Do You See? While their collaboration was a huge hit, it was really only the beginning for Carle. Soon he was writing his own original stories bringing them to life with his unique use of collage images. He had begun a career that would change his life, and influence the lives of children for generations to come.
Over his very long and incredible career Carle has created such beloved original stories as The Very Hungry Caterpillar, 1,2,3, to the Zoo, Opposites, The Very Busy Spider, Mister Seahorse, and Do You Want To Be My Friend? Carle’s works are well-known for dealing with nature, a favorite of children’s inquisitive minds, and generally teach children about the world around them in fun ways. His unique collage style has been a favorite of children’s for years and has brought him great acclaim and even some incredible artwork from his young readers and fans.

His fans are not the only ones to recognize his great works, Carle has received several awards over his prestigious career among these awards are the Kurt Vonnegut Jr. Literature Award, The Laura Ingalls Wilder Award, and the Japan Picture Book Award. Carle’s career has brought learning, great art, and incredibly fun stories to children all over the world, and will continue to do so for many more years to come.

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