Q&A with The Very Hungry Caterpillar author Eric Carle. Post up your Qs before midday, Friday 21 March

[RachelMumsnet]

The Very Hungry Caterpillar is celebrating its 45th Anniversary on 20th March 2014, the first day of Spring and to celebrate we're inviting you to send in your Qs to author Eric Carle. We'll choose ten questions to send over to Eric and if your question is selected and answered you will win a special 45th anniversary edition of The Hungry caterpillar.

Eric Carle is an internationally bestselling and award-winning author and illustrator of books for very young children. He was born in New York, but spent his early life in Germany. He returned to the States in his early twenties and worked as a graphic designer for the New York Times. He went on to be the art director of an advertising agency before he began writing and illustrating children's books. Eric lives in Massachusetts with his wife, Barbara. The Carles opened The Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art in Massachusetts in 2002.


The Very Hungry Caterpillar remains one of the most read children’s book in the UK, selling over 36 million copies worldwide since its publication in 1969 and translated into more than 55 languages. It is known that The Very Hungry Caterpillar has sold the equivalent of a copy per minute since its release, with researchers estimating that the perennial classic is read an average of nine times a year by the nation’s 5.5 million primary school children.

Post your Qs to Eric before midday on Friday 21 March and we'll link to his answers in early April.

[EricCarle]

@StillNoFuckingEyeDeer

I loved the very hungry caterpillar as a child & my daughter loves it now.
I always wondered if all the foods the caterpillar ate on Saturday were your favourites?

No, but I was trying, and when I am working on any book I always start this way, to entertain the child inside, the child I once was. So they were for my entertainment, if that answers your question.

[EricCarle]

@Mamakatt

Heyo Mr Carle, we just love your books in our house. My sons fav is definitely baby bear, baby bear what do you see? He points to it and hisses like a snake as this is favourite animal sound haha

I would love to write a childrens book even if just for my son to read. Do you have any advice for aspiring childrens writers?

I often tell people about the four magic letters: DO IT. I want to be encouraging but I can only offer the example of my own experience, which is just one approach. There are many wonderful picture book artists to learn about, which is important. But you must use your own imagination. You have to just do it.

[EricCarle]

@Chipandspuds

Thank you for writing such wonderful books! My Mum bought my son a copy of 'The Very Hungry Caterpillar' and it bought back so many memories for me of being at play school!

My sons favourite is 'The Very Busy Spider', he lives making the different animal noises and snoring noises for the last page when the spider has fallen asleep.

My question would be how do you get your inspiration for a new story? And another question would be do you spend a lot of time outdoors watching animals and birds?

A child once told me that ideas come from both your outside and your inside. That struck me as a perceptive and accurate response. It seems to me that what is outside and what is inside are the basic elements in constructing a story, creating a painting or composing a piece of music. Some ideas for my books have been there, inside me, in my unconscious perhaps, for a long time and others just come to me quickly. I'll think about a design concept and I'll get a spark or the beginning of an idea that way. Usually it's a combination of things: memory, design, dreams, experiences, things I've seen or heard.

[AliceMumsnet]

Eric has posted his responses to your great questions. We hope you enjoy reading his answers

[AliceMumsnet]

Congratulations to Firewall, tinypumpkin, CheeseTMouse, HazelDormouse, Misfitless, nonicknameseemsavailable, VelvetStrider, StillNoFuckingEyeDeer, Mamakatt and Chipandspuds - you have been selected to win a special anniversary edition of The Very Hungry Caterpillar. We will pm you on how to claim your prize.

[nonicknameseemsavailable]

Thank you Mr Carle - so interesting to find out how YOU view your work and what inspires you.

[HazelDormouse]

Thank you for answering my questions. I was very touched by some of the answers. I like the idea of it being about hope. Very interesting.

[StillNoFuckingEyeDeer]

Thank you for a great Q&A. I've loved reading this thread.

[VelvetStrider]

Thanks, that was really interesting. Very excited to win a book too!

[Misfitless]

Thank you so much for responding to my question, Mr Carle. Your answer touched me greatly and made me want to scoop up my children and read them a story right there and then (but they were out!)

We are thrilled to have won a book.

I found your magic words "DO IT" very inspiring. When you think of these words and apply them to almost any situation, it seems achievable.

[AliceMumsnet]

We've put all these lovely questions and answers into a Q&A archived page, check it out here.

[CheeseTMouse]

This is a really nice thread. It's interesting as we have recently been to the Klee exhibition at the Tate so I will think of it in a new light. Thank you for my book. My daughter and I will enjoy it.