The beloved children author Eric Carle, best known for ‘The Very Hungry Caterpillar’, has passed away at the age of 91 due to kidney failure.
The news was announced by his family via an announcement issued by Penguin Young Readers. According to the family’s statement, “(Eric Carle) passed away peacefully and surrounded by family members on May 23, 2021 at his summer studio in Northampton, Massachusetts.”
On Sunday, Carle’s Twitter account also confirmed his death. The tweet was posted by Eric Carle’s team which read, “From the Eric Carle Team: It is with heavy hearts that we share that Eric Carle, author & illustrator of The Very Hungry Caterpillar and many other beloved classics, passed away on [May] 23rd at the age of 91… Thank you for sharing your talent with generation of young readers.”
Moreover, acknowledging his death, Carle’s family said via his official website, “In the light of the moon, holding on to a good star, a painter of rainbows is now traveling across the night sky.”
After hearing the news, people took it to twitter to pay tribute to the author. Peter H. Reynolds, author and illustrator of “The Dot” tweeted, “Heaven just got more colorful. Eric Carle, 91, made his mark, splashing bravely & inspiring those around him to do the same.”
Heaven just got more colorful. Eric Carle, 91, made his mark, splashing bravely & inspiring those around him to do the same. ❤️. https://t.co/rE39aETzDE
— Peter H. Reynolds (@peterhreynolds) May 26, 2021
Carle was famously known for writing about insects such as spiders, ladybug and caterpillars. Other than ‘The Very Hungry Caterpillar’, the author was also known for ‘Brown Bear, Brown Bear’, ‘What Do You See?’, ‘Do You Want to Be My Friend?’ and ‘From Head to Toe’.
Carle’s children books have been read by George W. Bush and Hillary Clinton to the children on their campaign trail. Moreover, Eric’s fellow writer and illustrator Ted Dewan (known for Bing) described his work as “one of the pillars of children’s culture”.
National Book Award finalist Jarrett J. Krosoczka also wrote on Twitter to pay his respect to Eric. He tweeted, “To have spent some time with Eric Carle was the closest thing one could get to hanging out with the actual Santa Claus. His books and his advocacy for the arts will continue to ripple through time. But we in the children’s book community will miss him terribly,”
Eric Carle is survived by his children, Rolf and Cirsten Carle, and a sister, Christa Bareis.