Eric Carle

Over a career spanning more than half a century, Eric Carle produced a string of classic American picture books. Carle began his artistic career in the early 1960s and found success in 1967 by illustrating Bill Martin, Jr.’s Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? There would be three sequels, all published many years later. In 1969 Carle crafted The Very Hungry Caterpillar, inspired by the circular cut-outs of a hole punch. Utilising his distinctive collage style of layered, hand-painted papers, the book became an instant popular and critical favourite and has gone on to sell nearly 50 million copies worldwide. Carle wrote and illustrated other bug-based books such as The Bad Tempered Ladybird and The Very Busy Spider, as well as The Tiny Seed, Mister Seahorse and Draw Me a Star.