Posted
on June 25, 2015
The
Very Hungry Caterpillar.
The
Very Busy Spider.
Pancakes,
Pancakes!
All
About Arthur (An Absolutely Absurd Ape).
Eric Carle wrote and
illustrated all of those books, and many, many more, and he
illustrated a whole lot of books that he didn't write.
Carle was born on this
date in 1929, in New York, to parents who had come to America from
Germany. His mom was so homesick for Germany, the family returned to
that nation in or around 1935, when little Eric was just six years
old.
Do you know what was
happening in Germany in 1935?
Adolph Hitler was the
ruler. The nation was rearming, in violation of the treaty that had
ended World War I. The Nuremberg Laws were passed, causing
discrimination toward Jewish people. The Nazi flag – with the
swastika – was made the German national flag.
It was a bad time to move
to Germany, and it was about to get bad for the Carle family.
Eric Carle's dad was soon
drafted into the German army. He lived through the entire war, but
when Germany lost the war, he was taken prisoner by the forces of the
Soviet Union. Two years later, Eric's father was finally able to go
home to Germany and his father. He was sick, semi-starved, and
weighed only 85 pounds.
Eric Carle himself was
forced to take part in World War II, also. The German government made
boy ages 15 and older dig trenches, so for a year or two, he had to
dig trenches every day with other teens and with Russian prisoners.
He saw people being killed just a few feet away. When he was finally
able to go home, his house was the only one still standing in his
neighborhood – but the roof, windows, and doors were all gone.
That is an example of
really bad timing, but Eric Carle remembered America, and he missed
it and wanted to return there someday. Finally, in 1952, age 23, Eric
Carle arrived in New York City with only $40. But he was able to get
a job as a graphic designer for The
New York Times! He was
drafted into the U.S. Navy for a few years – he was stationed in
German! – but when he was released from that stint, he went back to
NYC to work with art and publishing.
It was educator/author
Bill Martin, Jr., who noticed Carle's artwork and lured him to
illustrate a book he was writing. And from there, Carle never looked
back. He started a museum of picture book art, and he has won many
awards, and he loves what he does! |
| You know what happens when you write a really, really popular book? You find yourself in a world filled with your really, really popular main character: |
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