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The 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,
by sen 5y ago
The 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/
- theli0nheart 5y agoWhere does it say it’s a parody issue? An April 1 publication date isn’t nearly enough evidence to make that claim, and the interview itself isn’t written in a cheeky way. What seems to make you think this is the case?
- aaronharnly 5y agoConsider that the issue is introduced as the “inaugural issue” of a companion quarterly for young readers. Then consider these entries from the table of contents: - You Whoreson Cullionly Barber-Monger! 9 Bully-busting Insults from Shakespeare - Your Struggle: Karl Ove Knausgaard Helps You Navigate the School Yard https://www.theparisreview.org/blog/2015/04/01/the-paris-review-for-young-readers/ https://www.theparisreview.org/blog/2015/04/01/the-paris-rev...
- theli0nheart 5y agoOk, yup. You’ve convinced me. This is definitely a joke issue. :D Also, the included word game is…hilarious. https://www.theparisreview.org/word-hunt https://www.theparisreview.org/word-hunt
- aaronharnly 5y agoHa, great find!
- perihelions 5y agoI'm not sure this anecdote is meant to be taken factually. It originates (apparently) from an interview with Eric Carle for a literary magazine, https://www.theparisreview.org/the-art-of-fiction-carle https://www.theparisreview.org/the-art-of-fiction-carle But the tone of the article is clearly tongue-in-cheek, and also it has a publication date of April 1.
- theli0nheart 5y agoI didn’t read it that way. It seems like a completely normal interview.
- aaronharnly 5y agoLook at the rest of the issue: https://www.theparisreview.org/blog/2015/04/01/the-paris-review-for-young-readers/ https://www.theparisreview.org/blog/2015/04/01/the-paris-rev... Definitely a parody.
- perihelions 5y agoYou read this as a straight-faced literary defense of "Very Hungry Caterpillar"? "I don’t recognize childhood obesity. No one should. I see children doing what they like, which is eating, and doing it without the shame or remorse later drilled into them by Judeo-Christian ethics. This is what I mean when I say juvenile morality: it’s a kind of a priori humanism. Children predate the law." The whole interview is one long joke, and the part about the publisher changing the plot is a knowing parody of author-editor relations -- to anyone who's ever been within blast radius of one!
- theli0nheart 5y agoSee my other comment on this thread, I totally see now this is a joke. :)
- Pxtl 5y agoOof, shows the downside of social media. My bad.