Background

Childhood

Eric Carle had a childhood that spanned across two continents, was filled with family, nature, and a variety of school experiences. His background was the foundation which helped inspire the work found in his books.

Eric Carle’s story started on June 25, 1929 when he was born in Syracuse, New York. His parents, Erich and Johanna, had immigrated to the United States from Germany several years before his birth. In 1935 he started school in Syracuse where he experienced, “a sun-filled room, large sheets of paper, colorful paints, and fat brushes” (Carle, 1996, p. 14). This environment encouraged his artistic side and his teacher passed on to his mother that she should nurture his talent for creating. When Carle was six his life changed dramatically when his family moved to Stuttgart, Germany. School was much different in this new country. His new school was, “a small room with narrow windows, a hard pencil, a small sheet of paper, and a stern warning not to make mistakes” (Carle, 1996, p. 17). It was at this point that Eric Carle started to hate school and yearned to go back home. During this time Carle was surrounded with extended family. He lived in a large house where different families members lived on each floor. Throughout his childhood Carle was introduced to nature, mainly by his father. They would go on long walks and his father would be sure to point out and explain the small creatures they found along the way. (Carle, 1996, p. 14).

At the age of 10 another big change occurred. World War II started and his father was drafted into service. It would not be eight years later that his father was permanently reunited with the family. During the war Eric Carle’s city was bombed, he was evacuated to a small town, and his education was disrupted. However, he still had occasionally classes with his art teacher, Herr Krauss. It was during one of these meetings that his teacher showed him “forbidden art” that was created by Picasso, Klee, Matisse, Braque, and Kandinsky. (Carle, 1996, p. 23-24). Krauss also recommended that Carle should attend the Akademie der Bildenden Künste (State Academy of Fine Arts) in Stuttgart where he studied graphic design. While attending art school Carle’s love for school returned.

Beginning Career

Eric Carle’s career began in Germany as graphic designer and poster artist for the United States Information Center. In 1952, at the age of 22, Carle returned to New York. He quickly gained employment as a graphic designer for The New York Times. His employment was swiftly interrupted when he was drafted and served in the army from 1952-1956. After his service he returned to The New York Times. He then became an Art Director for an advertising agency in New York. In 1963 he started freelancing as a graphic designer and illustrator.

It wasn’t until the mid 1960s that Carle began to create illustrations for children’s books with the style we are familiar with. Based on an advertisement that featured a bold image of a lobster, Bill Martin Jr. sought out Carle to illustrate his book Brown Bear, Brown Bear What Do You Hear? Working on this project brought Carle back to his early days of education that were filled with bright colors and the freedom to express himself, while at the same time creating art that would help a child learn. The following year,1968, Carle took his work one step further by writing and illustrating his first book, 1,2,3, Zoo. In 1969 Carle’s career as a children’s author/illustrator really took off with the publication of his now famous, The Very Hungry Caterpillar.

Legacy

Since the 1960’s Carle has continued to steadily write and illustrate children’s books. Nearly every year, and sometimes more than once a year, Carle has illustrated and often been the author of children’s books. The majority of his collection is fiction, but there are a few non-fiction selections. However, even the fiction picture books have many things that children can learn. His books have been translated into 65 languages and sold more than 145 million copies.

Not only has Carle been a prolific writer he has also produced books that are of high quality. He has won numerous national and international awards, as well as earned honorary degrees. Here are a few of his achievements:

  • Children’s Literature Legacy Award from the Association for Library Service to Children, 2003
  • The Original Art Lifetime Achievement Award from the Society of Illustrators, New York, NY, 2010
  • Great Friend to Kids Awards, Association of Children’s Museums, Pittsburgh, PA 2013
  • First Prize for Picture Books from the International Children’s Book Fair, Bologna, Italy
  • Oppenheim Toy Portfolio Best Book Award
  • Selection Du Grand Prix Treize, France

In 2002, to highlight the impact of picture books as not only educational pieces but also works of art, Eric Carle and his wife, Barbara, founded The Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art in Massachusetts. When it opened it was the first museum that honored the national and international work of picture book art. (“Eric Carle”, 2010, p. 55)

“The Carle houses more than 11,000 objects, including 7,300 permanent collection illustrations, three art galleries, an art studio, a theater, picture book and scholarly libraries, and provides programs for families, scholars, educators, and schoolchildren. Educational offerings include professional training for educators around the country.” (History, n.d.)

While building his career Carle also built a family. With his first wife, Dorothea, he had two children, Cirsten and Rolf. Carle and his second wife, Barbara aka “Bobbie”, were married in 1973 until she passed away in 2015. Carle also has a sister, Christa, who The Very Hungry Caterpillar was dedicated to.

Influence on Work

The impact of Eric Carle’s background can be seen both in the illustrations and content of his work.

The bright, bold colors used in his books are reminiscent of his early years of education in the United States where he was exposed to creating art with beautiful colors. During his time as a child in Germany his teacher risked showing him art that was not approved by the government. This included work by modern, abstract artists such as Pablo Picasso and Paul Klee. The influence of these artists work is clearly seen in his use of collage. While working as a graphic designer Carle created work that was clear and to the point. This style continued in his illustrations for children’s books. Although he creates illustrations using collage, the majority of his illustrations feature clean borders and images that are easy to see at a glance.

Eric Carle’s books are not only full of opportunities to learn, but they are also entertaining and fun. When Carle was very young school was enjoyable, but when he moved to Germany the joy of learning was no longer present. Due to this Carle has stated that he writes books that he needed as a child and may still need today for the child that remains within himself. (Glassman, 1994). Storylines for his books have often been inspired from experiences in his own life. Papa, Please Get the Moon for Me was created based off of Carle’s daughter requesting for him to gather the moon one night. Pancakes, Pancakes!  and My Apron were both inspired by experiences with his extended family. Glimpses of Carle’s family can also sometimes be seen in his work. Such as his children’s initials in the rims of a car in The Very Lonely Firefly or his wife’s name on a flag on a boat in 10 Little Rubber Ducks. Perhaps the most noticeable childhood influence is the inclusion of nature and insects in a large number of books. Carle fondly remembers walks with his father where the often unnoticed aspects in nature, such as insects, were brought to his attention.

Through gaining inspiration from his past Eric Carle has created memorable children’s literature that is enjoyed all over the world.

References:

Eric Carle: United States illustrator. (2010, April). Bookbird: A Journal of International Children’s Literature, 48(2), 55. doi:10.1353/bkb.0.0259

Glassman, M. (1994, August 29). In the studio with Eric Carle. Publishers Weekly, 241(35), 26-27. Retrieved from Gale Literature Resource Center

History. (n.d.). Retrieved April 27, 2019, from The Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art website: https://www.carlemuseum.org/content/history

Photo/Video Credits:

Art teacher, Herr Fridolin Krauss. [Photograph]. (1996). The Art of Eric Carle, p. 23.

Eric Carle books [Photograph]. (2015). Retrieved from http://kardsunlimited.com/blog/things-you-probably-didnt-know-about-eric-carle/.

Eric Carle as a boy. [Photograph]. (1996). The Art of Eric Carle, p. 15.

In first grade class in Stuttgart, 1936. [Photograph]. (1996). The Art of Eric Carle, p. 17.

Klee, P. (1928). Castle and Sun [Painting]. Retrieved from https://www.wikiart.org/en/paul-klee/castle-and-sun-1928

Literary Traveler (Creator). (2011). A Visit to The Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art [Video file]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nv-ls0juyh8&t=29s

Lobster advertisement. [Photograph]. (1996). The Art of Eric Carle, p. 35.

Puffin Books (Creator). (2012). Eric Carle reads The Very Hungry Caterpillar[Video file]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vkYmvxP0AJI&t=15s

With father on ship to Germany. [Photograph]. (1996). The Art of Eric Carle, p. 16.

With parents in Germany. [Photograph]. (1996). The Art of Eric Carle, p. 22.

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