14 ms·
Eric Carle has died
- pizzabearman 5y agoMy mom read this book to me as a child all the time. 15/20 years later I ran across it some how. I remembered my brain doing some kind of "summer salt jump flip", awakening some hidden part of my brain recognizing those plums, apples, caterpillar, etc. The illustrations are so colorful and distinct.
- frakt0x90 5y agoI absolutely loved that book as a kid and still remember the art very clearly 25+ years later. Crazy how such simple things can have such long lasting impressions.
- _Microft 5y agoIn German, it is called Die kleine Raupe Nimmersatt which, translated word-by-word, means The small Caterpillar Never-sated. I always found that an especially cute name. How is The Very Hungry Caterpillar called in your language? Did the translator have similar freedoms with the name?
- roywashere 5y agoDutch: Rupsje Nooitgenoeg (Little Caterpillar Neverenough)
- coccinelle 5y agoFrench seems to be La Chenille qui fait des trous: The Caterpillar That Makes Holes. Very underwhelming compared to the German or Dutch translations if you ask me!
- cycomanic 5y agoI have a French partner (am German myself) and was surprised how old-fashioned many French children's literature is (only changed with very recent books). The same goes for translations of other work. When we had children I was absolutely amazed that my partner didn't know Pippi Longstockings. Well turned out that the French translation was tamed/censored significantly, because Pippi was too rebellious (I know the irony in France), and because of that was never successful. They only made a new, more accurate translation in the late 1990s. Hence my partner who is born significantly before didn't know it.
- Agentlien 5y agoPart of this is of course the name. Pippi sounds like "pipi" as in "faire pipi", to pee. So they renamed her Fifi.
- Svip 5y agoThe Danish title is very similar to the German and Dutch ones, Den sultne larve Aldrigmæt meaning The hungry larva Never-sated.
- _Microft 5y agoI just looked up Norwegian and it's Den lille larven Aldrimett there.
- lemming 5y agoIn Spanish it’s La oruga muy hambrienta which is a straight translation of the English.
- ralmeida 5y agoIn Portuguese, it's _Uma lagarta muito comilona_ according to Amazon - something like "A very guzzling cartepillar"
- pietroppeter 5y agoIn Italian same as in German: “Il piccolo bruco maisazio”. Having “mai” (never) “sazio” (sated) fused as a single word is unusual in Italian but very effective in this case. https://it.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Il_piccolo_Bruco_Maisazio https://it.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Il_piccolo_Bruco_Maisazio
- dotcommand 5y ago> In German, it is called Die kleine Raupe Nimmersatt which, translated word-by-word, means The small Caterpillar Never-sated. I always found that an especially cute name. So if we translated it from german directly back to english, the title would be "The Insatiable Caterpillar". Which is close to original "The Very Hungry Caterpillar" but not quite the same. There is a difference between "insatiable" and "very hungry" - namely the "very hungry" can eventually be sated. It's strange how the translation/conversion from one language to another and then back doesn't necessarily get you the original. It would be like converting $10 to euros and then back to dollars doesn't get you the original $10 ( ignoring fees ).
- jimktrains2 5y agoMay I introduce you to Malinda. https://m.youtube.com/user/malineka146 https://m.youtube.com/user/malineka146 She takes lyrics translates them from English to something else to something else gc a few times and then back to English. It's quite amusing.
- MichaelMoser123 5y agoIn Hebrew it's 'הזחל הרעב' - 'the Hungry Catterpillar' (i used to add stuff to what else the catterpillar was eating, my kids would usually join the show, and so the caterpillar was eating couscous and falafel. Did you guys do that to?).
- Agentlien 5y agoI'm Swedish, my wife is from Belgium and introduced me to Eric Carle when she bought several of his books for our children. Before that I had never read any of his books and only recognised the title of The Very Hungry Caterpillar. Looking a bit I can't find any of his books in Swedish and neither he nor the caterpillar seem to have a Swedish wiki page.
- dagw 5y agoHere's the book in Swedish: https://www.adlibris.com/se/bok/den-mycket-hungriga-larven-9789179033415 https://www.adlibris.com/se/bok/den-mycket-hungriga-larven-9... Anecdotally I'd say well over half the people I know here in Sweden with kids of the relevant age own a copy. I also definitely read it as a kid, had it read to me in kindergarten, and even remember it as an 'animated' TV show (basically panning shots over the illustrations as a narrator read the story).
- Agentlien 5y agoIt's fascinating how culture can be so segmented within such a small population. When we got the books for our kids I read them and loved them. I told my mother about them and she didn't recognize them at all. How old are you? I was born in 1987 so I grew up in the nineties.
- dagw 5y agoI grew up in the 80s, so that could be a factor.
- hprotagonist 5y agoHis books are still in steady rotation at my house.
- scop 5y agoThank you Eric Carle. I've greatly enjoyed reading his books to my children, especially "The Grouchy the Ladybug" and "Papa Please Get the Moon for Me". In a similar vein, and for any curious readers out there, I was recently reduced to near tears reading "The Clown of God" by Tommie De Palo
- lanstin 5y agoI cry every time at that one.
- heydenberk 5y agoBooks for babies and toddlers are pretty much all the same: cute drawings and simple sentences. On some level, they're all goofy and inane. There's no accounting for taste to be sure, but I am especially baffled why some of these books grow tiresome after two read-throughs, while you are delighted to see your toddler reach for certain books again and again. Eric Carle's books are all in the latter camp for me. The illustrations are beautiful, of course, but something about the stupidly simple prose and narrative just ineffably works. I'm grateful to him.
- garyrob 5y agoI agree. I read his books, especially that one, to each of my kids, and still have very fond memories
- danbolt 5y agoI've heard that a lot of children's media often looks to help encourage pattern recognition (eg: counting the Very Hungry Caterpillar's foods or the structure of a Blue's Clues episode), but I don't know how true that is.
- NoNotTheDuo 5y agoI've heard a corollary to this. Kids often love to watch/read the same thing because they recognize the pattern and know what is coming up next. This gives them comfort and a routine.
- lfowles 5y agoAs an adult I love recognizing the patterns and anticipating what's coming next! The only difference is the patterns get more complex :)
- ftio 5y agoI echo all of this, including in appreciation of Carle's work. Despite the simple language, there's a sophistication and depth to the best children's books that mediocre ones lack. My favorite to read to my little guys is _This is Not My Hat_ by Jon Klassen, which is one of the funniest, most subtle ones we've come across.
- philshem 5y agoTIL, the stomach-ache scene was forced by the publisher… https://twitter.com/unfortunatalie/status/1397870735406817281 https://twitter.com/unfortunatalie/status/139787073540681728...
- hyko 5y agoWow.
- greatquux 5y agoDefinitely parody
- philshem 5y agoCan no longer edit, but might be a fake parody interview from the Paris Review. Sorry. https://twitter.com/buckwilson/status/1397930890446229504 https://twitter.com/buckwilson/status/1397930890446229504 https://twitter.com/AviTheNaftali/status/1397928222809939968 https://twitter.com/AviTheNaftali/status/1397928222809939968
- Hedepig 5y agoI'm reading that was a fake interview
- philshem 5y agoyes, I've replied the same below. Now I've flagged myself (via email) hoping the mods can take the post down. I hate to be involved in misinformation.
- MandieD 5y agoIt’s the first book I remember reading in both English (as a small child) and German (in college), and now my German-American baby is growing up with it in both languages.
- ugh123 5y agoThe 3-book box set, along with Lonely Firefly and Busy Spider, is still going strong with my 3 year old. Although I try to limit the Caterpillar book now since my son will start demanding cake, ice cream, sausage, etc after we read it. Makes bedtime routine really hard
- nineplay 5y agoThere are very few justifications for the existence of Twitter but one is undoubtedly Eric Carle's feed. He posted new drawings for every holiday. https://twitter.com/ericcarle?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor https://twitter.com/ericcarle?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcam...
- jedberg 5y agoThat Twitter is awesome, thanks! I was a little disappointed in twitter marking his "happy Hanukkah" drawing as "sensitive content"
- afro88 5y agoStrange, it's not marked sensitive in mine. Are twitter personalising the labelling of tweets now?
- jedberg 5y agoThat would make sense but be extra funny to label a happy Hanukkah post as sensitive for me in particular! That would be a pretty broken algorithm. Unless it's per region perhaps. Are you in the USA?
- 5y ago
- syntheticnature 5y agoThe Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art in Amherst, MA is worth a visit: https://www.carlemuseum.org/ https://www.carlemuseum.org/
- dugmartin 5y agoWestern Massachusetts is (or was in the case of Eric Carle) home to many famous children's book authors. Mo Willems, Norton Juster and Jane Yolen to name a few. Here is a good article with more info: https://www.bostonglobe.com/magazine/2017/04/05/how-western-mass-became-kids-lit-central/8Mb4D8IGqEEkk6Lpc0bWxN/story.html https://www.bostonglobe.com/magazine/2017/04/05/how-western-...
- strictnein 5y agoLike many others here, I spent several years of my life with his books. "The Very Hungry Caterpillar" is obviously his best known classic, but in our house "Dream Snow" was the most popular. https://www.amazon.com/Dream-Snow-Eric-Carle/dp/0399235795/ https://www.amazon.com/Dream-Snow-Eric-Carle/dp/0399235795/ It's a great Christmas/Winter book. Definitely get the bigger, hardcover version. The illustrations are great and at the end of the story your kid will get to push a button and make some peaceful musical notes play.
- navbaker 5y agoWe have a small collection of his other books that are favorites with our 3 and 5 year old kids. "Pancakes, Pancakes", "The Tiny Seed", and "A House for Hermit Crab" in particular are regular reads at bedtime.
- dvaun 5y agoInteresting. My oldest also loves all three of these books, while his younger brother loves "The Very Hungry Caterpillar". They're great books to make funny sounds with. They're also great for asking our kids questions about the stories.
- rohansingh 5y ago> Books for babies and toddlers are pretty much all the same: cute drawings and simple sentences. On some level, they're all goofy and inane. If you're tired of that, I'd highly recommend Happy Dog the Happy Dog: https://topatoco.com/collections/ryan-north/products/qw-happydog-book https://topatoco.com/collections/ryan-north/products/qw-happ... It's based on this comic: https://qwantz.com/index.php?comic=484 https://qwantz.com/index.php?comic=484
- gabagool 5y agoThis title should say that he died. Right now it boils down to "Eric Carle" which does not signify a news event.
- airstrike 5y ago+1. 'Eric Carle, writer and illustrator of The Very Hungry Caterpillar, has died' is shorter than the current title so it should work.
- robmaceachern 5y ago"The Very Hungry Caterpillar" will always have a special place in my heart. I can't begin to describe how fond my memories are of my two year old son reciting the words on the Saturday page for the first time: “On Saturday, he ate through one piece of chocolate cake, one ice-cream cone, one pickle, one slice of Swiss cheese, one slice of salami, one lollipop, one piece of cherry pie, one sausage, one cupcake, and one slice of watermelon. That night he had a stomach ache.” Such a precious memory for me. Thank you Eric Carle. RIP.
- jaza 5y agoAmen. Also thanks Eric Carle for getting my kids to eat apples, pears, plums, strawberries, oranges, chocolate cake, ice-cream, pickles, Swiss cheese, salami, lollipops, cherry pie, sausage, cupcake, and watermelons (and nice green leaves)!
- rietta 5y agoHe wrote or illustrated some of our daughter's favorites. It's amazing to me just how classic these are. Something I had no idea about until becoming a parent. RIP Sir, and thank you for being part of our child's education.
- aynyc 5y agoMy kids love his books. FYI: the broadway production of his books is very well done as well.
- Stratoscope 5y agoI loved Eric's books, and my daughters loved having me read the books to them some 20 years ago. It's funny, as I read Eric's obituary I can hear my own voice reading those books to my daughters so long ago. RIP Eric, and thank you for bringing us so many good times.
- afro88 5y agoI loved The Very Hungry Caterpillar as a kid, and now read it to my 6 month old before bed. He loves it too, smiling while playing with the little mini pages and me poking his finger into the holes as the caterpillar chomps through his feast. Precious moments. RIP Eric Carle
- duxup 5y agoMr Rogers visited him once: https://www.misterrogers.org/videos/eric-carle/ https://www.misterrogers.org/videos/eric-carle/
- divbzero 5y agoThis is one of my favorite Mr Rogers episodes.
- bvm 5y agoi enjoy reading to my 7 month old. she has no idea what's going on, but she likes being cuddled, the sound of her parent's voices and turning the pages. what i really enjoy is that she has no idea of linear narrative, so she will turn the book to the last page and then the first. then try to eat the book. then at some point cry. the very hungry caterpillar is somewhat unique in that she absolutely loves the illustrations, like no other book. she really sits still and gazes agog at them, especially that picture of the sun at the beginning.
- anonu 5y agoI read The Very Hungry Caterpillar to my toddler. It really resonates with her because of all the fun pictures of food! What strikes me about a lot of children's book is that they often talk about metamorphosis - which is a strange and beautiful concept. But we rarely encounter it in real life, other than figuratively.
- jgon 5y agoThe books have been a staple in our household as well, and I echo other people is saying that this a loss of a true talent. One thing I thought I'd add to the conversation is that a series of very well done short films were made based on some of his books. If your little ones are begging for some screen time and you're wary of what youtube will unleash on them, I found these to be a really fun series that keep to his unique and beautiful aesthetic, and at least my kids loved to watch The Very Hungry Caterpillar on the screen and then read it together afterwards, and maybe your children will feel the same! The Very Hungry Caterpillar https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=75NQK-Sm1YY https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=75NQK-Sm1YY I See a Song https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pPpkaldk84Y https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pPpkaldk84Y Papa, Please Get The Moon for Me https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sGqAw7UM6qo https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sGqAw7UM6qo The Very Quiet Cricket https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sGqAw7UM6qo https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sGqAw7UM6qo The Mixed Up Chameleon https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FrmZeXf7ScU https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FrmZeXf7ScU "In the light of the moon, a little egg lay on a leaf..."
- freediver 5y agoVery grateful to Eric Carle and his contribution to the world. Alan Kay said "People who are really serious about software should make their own hardware.". Makes me think that people who are really serious about writing books for children, should do their own illustrations.
- jacobolus 5y agoWhile some excellent children’s books are one-person projects, most of my favorite children’s books have separate author / illustrator. There is no indication that they are less “serious”. You can find a large pile of terrible books with any possible authorship structure. I do get the sense however that picture books are usually better when the author and illustrator collaborate closely.
- freediver 5y agoCould be as well, but as an aspiring childrens' book author, this just made me think there may be one more skill I will need to acquire.
- nescioquid 5y agoThough by analogy, people who are really serious about writing books for children should really make their own children, no?
- Aeolun 5y agoIt certainly helps with building a test audience.
- jaza 5y agoYes, although (thinking personally, right now my kids are still little): before you have kids, you lack the audience and the experience; once your kids have grown out of picture books, you've lost the audience; and while you're bringing up little kids, you have no time to write books! I've considered book-writing on occasion, but never seriously considered childrens' books, mainly because I have no illustration skills.
- sen 5y agoThe Very Hungry Caterpillar is probably the single most important kids book in my extended family. It was the first book I got as a kid due to my dad loving it, and Mum sewed me a little toy which was my favourite toy for many years. It the became a “thing” where it was the first book we got for every kid born in my extended family, and now that I have my own kids 40+ years later it was the first I got for them too. They both know it by rote, have the toys, had the bed sheets, everything. They’re now in the early years of school and still absolutely love the story and have the posters in their rooms despite them being “old” for it. RIP Eric. You’ve left an amazing mark on the world.
- Pxtl 5y agoWhat's fascinating about the Very Hungry Caterpillar was that the "stomach ache" and nice green leaf was forced upon him by his publisher. He wanted it to be "caterpillar eats lots of silly things because he's hungry, becomes huge, becomes butterfly". The moralizing "nice green leaf" was neither his idea nor desired.
- Aeolun 5y agoTo be fair, I think being sick after eating tons of candy is probably pretty accurate.
- jacobolus 5y ago> nice green leaf was forced upon him by his publisher As pointed out in comments elsewhere in this discussion, this factoid seems to come from a satirical parody "interview".
- pseudalopex 5y agoThe only primary source for this story seems to be a parody issue of The Paris Review.[1] And his list of articles and interviews doesn't mention it.[2] [1] https://www.theparisreview.org/the-art-of-fiction-carle https://www.theparisreview.org/the-art-of-fiction-carle [2] https://eric-carle.com/about-eric-carle/articles-interviews/ https://eric-carle.com/about-eric-carle/articles-interviews/
- CyberRabbi 5y agoThere should really be a black banner for this, dang?
- sangd 5y agoI have this book and I have never looked him up until seeing this post today. All of my three daughters love this book and I didn't quite understand why as I grew up in a different culture. RIP Eric. You've done great work for this world!
- vlunkr 5y agoI didn't really understand why kids like it so much at first, but here's what I think, in very few words it explores lots of things: counting, days of the week, day/night cycle, lots of foods, separating fruit from junk food, and of the lifecycle of butterflies. Kids will find something engaging in there.
- nend 5y agoPlus the holes. Kids can't seem to stop themselves from interacting with it.
- staplers 5y agoPaywall
- _carbyau_ 5y agoSurprisingly, youtube did a reasonable job of The Very Hungry Caterpillar too. English: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=75NQK-Sm1YY https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=75NQK-Sm1YY
- Nition 5y agoThe Very Hungry Caterpillar is a lovely book, but I do wish it didn't have the caterpillar enter a cocoon and come out as a butterfly. It's caused a lot of confusion over the years (only moths make a cocoon, butterflies make a chrysalis).
- sharadov 5y agoRIP Eric Carle. Just a few days back my 5 year old announced how Eric Carle is his favorite author and how he wants to meet him. It took me quite by surprise because not many kids that young care about authors, they like a book and are done!
- type_enthusiast 5y agoNot to downplay the cultural importance of The Very Hungry Caterpillar – but can I suggest another one of Eric Carle's books? It's called "Pancakes, Pancakes!" In it, the protagonist wants to eat some pancakes – but he discovers that in order to do so, he needs to harvest and mill some wheat, milk a cow and churn some butter, and so forth. I read this to my kids when they were little, and it struck me as actually a pretty good lesson about how much work goes on outside of our house, in order to make Saturday Pancakes possible. But it's not presented in a preachy way at all – more of an excited way, like "isn't it interesting how much background work goes into Saturday Pancakes?". I credit that book with getting my kids interested in food/cooking and much more than that as well – the seed of thinking about what has to happen for an Amazon box to show up at your door with a particular gizmo. So I'll pour out some pancake batter for Eric Carle on Saturday morning.
- noneeeed 5y agoThanks for that suggestion, I like the sound of that. It sounds a little like the story of the Little Red Hen who bakes a loaf of bread, but without the moral about her friends not helping but then expecting to eat the bread.