03-06-2024
Meet The Very Hungry Caterpillar
Just 224 words long, Eric Carleâs classic childrenâs book, âThe Very Hungry Caterpillarâ, was first published on 3rd June, 1969. Initially conceived as a "bookworm" eating through the pages, Carle's editor suggested a caterpillar for the central character, leading to a timeless tome that has sold over 55 million copies in 70 languages.
Carle's journey to becoming a renowned children's author began in his late 30s after a career in advertising. Despite a tumultuous early life, including being conscripted by the Nazis and later the US Army, Carle found solace in his unique artistic style, layering paint and tissue paper to create colourful, textured illustrations.
In this episode, Arion, Rebecca and Olly ponder why Carleâs military history has not caused him reputational damage in the USA; trace his childhood memories and his father's love for nature in his writing; and reveal why George W. Bush misunderestimated our ability to decipher chronology âŚ
Further Reading:
⢠âThe Very Hungry Caterpillar: 50 years of magical reading for childrenâ (The Independent, 2019): https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/books/features/the-very-hungry-caterpillar-author-eric-carle-anniversary-50-a8937571.html
⢠âThe Enduring Whimsy and Wonderment of Eric Carleâ (The New York Times, 2021): https://www.nytimes.com/2021/07/25/books/review/eric-carle-tiny-seeds-very-hungry-caterpillar.html?searchResultPosition=1
⢠âEric Carle Discusses 50 Years of The Very Hungry Caterpillarâ (Penguin Kids, 2019): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vYwE8qALm9M
#Books #60s #Inventions #US
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The Retrospectors are Olly Mann, Rebecca Messina & Arion McNicoll, with Matt Hill.
Theme Music: Pass The Peas. Announcer: Bob Ravelli. Graphic Design: Terry Saunders. Edit Producer: Ollie Peart.
Copyright: Rethink Audio / Olly Mann 2024.
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