This post is all about Eric Carle inspirational quotes.
Who is Eric Carle?
Eric Carle is the famous American author of the beloved children’s book, The Very Hungry Caterpillar. He is also the author of over 70 other books. But for a good bit of his life, he had no idea he’d ever become an illustrator and writer of children’s books.
Born in New York, he moved to Stuttgart, Germany with his family – where his mother was raised – at the age of 6. In Germany, he attended art school but eventually longed to live in America once more and ended up moving back in his early 20s in 1952.
At that time, he worked as a graphic designer for The New York Times, and then later as an art director for an advertising agency.
Up until this point, Eric Carle didn’t even know he had an interest in writing or illustrating children’s books, and he says his career in that realm didn’t begin until he was in his late 30s.
In his interview with The Scottish Sun, Eric Carle says, “In the mid-1960s Bill Martin Jr saw an ad of a red lobster that I had designed and asked me to illustrate his Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?”
Eric Carle thought that book was excellent.
It was after this that Eric Carle realized his calling for children’s books. He was a great artist with his own style and a knack for using bright colors and simple shapes. He is now known as one of the most wonderful picture book artists to ever live.
Eric Carle is a world-renowned author thanks to his book The Very Hungry Caterpillar, which he only wrote just a few years after realizing he wanted to be a children’s book author.
What books has Eric Carle written?
Eric Carle wrote over 70 books before passing away in May of 2021. His most popular book, The Very Hungry Caterpillar, was “first published in 1969, has been translated into more than 66 languages and sold more than 50 million copies” according to Wikipedia.
It is ranked the best children’s book behind Where The Wild Things Are. I actually haven’t read that book, though. Have you?
The Very Hungry Caterpillar is about a caterpillar that emerges from an egg and begins eating all kinds of things like a piece of chocolate cake, a slice of swiss cheese, an ice-cream cone, a piece of cherry pie, a slice of salami, a slice of watermelon, and so on.
But doing this doesn’t make the caterpillar feel so good, so he eventually decides to eat a nice green leaf. The next day, the caterpillar builds a cocoon and eventually becomes a beautiful butterfly.
The Very Hungry Caterpillar teaches young readers about hope and growth, as well as the importance of eating healthy foods.
Eric Carle Inspirational Quotes
Here are the BEST Eric Carle Inspirational Quotes
1. “I often tell people about the four magic letters: DO IT.”
2. “The key to success is perseverance and a belief in oneself.”
3. “The secret to my success is that I never, ever give up.”
4. “Spend some time alone every day. The world will still be there when you get back, and it will look better.”
5. “Be curious, ask questions, and never stop learning.”
6. “I also try to keep an open mind, to listen to my intuition and allow for the unexpected, the coincidental.”
7. “Appreciate the small moments of beauty that surround you. They can be found in the simplest things.”
8. “Simplify, slow down, be kind. And don’t forget to have art in your life – music, paintings, theatre, dance, and sunsets.”
9. “I remember that as a child, when I felt overwhelmed, my mother would reassure me by saying, ‘One piece at a time.’ That’s good advice for many things in life.”
10. “We have eyes, and we’re looking at stuff all the time, all day long. And I just think that whatever our eyes touch should be beautiful, tasteful, appealing, and important.”
11. “I believe that everything we do, everything we strive for, has a purpose. And that purpose is to bring joy to those around us.”
Quotes About The Magic of Childhood
Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? Is the book that Eric Carle did the illustrations for that really helped him realize his interest in writing and illustrating children’s books.
12. “You are never too old to be young at heart.”
13. “If you want to change the world, start with one child.”
14. “Every child is an artist. The problem is how to remain an artist once we grow up.”
15. “I believe that children can teach adults important things, too. For instance, they can remind us that miracles are possible every day.”
16. “Let children learn through their own exploration. Provide them with tools and opportunities, and watch them bloom.”
17. “I feel strongly that by reading with your child, by the simple act of holding them close while you read to them, you let them know that you care for them, have time for them and love them.”
18. “This is a universal concern that children have, ‘Will I grow up? Will I be able to function as an adult?’”
19. “Our task as adults is to teach children to dream with their eyes open.”
20. “Children need hope.”
21. “I know that children love their picture books because I have many of the same qualities as children. I am as curious as a child, as imaginative, as ready for adventure, and I am still learning.”
Quotes About The Power of Creativity
Eric Carle’s ability to be his creative self is really what drove him to success.
22. “If you do anything with love, it becomes a creative process.”
23. “The process of creation is a journey of self-discovery.”
24. “Nature is a constant source of inspiration. Look closely, and you will discover its wonders.”
25. “I believe in the power of imagination. It is through imagination that we can visualize new possibilities and make dreams come true.”
26. “The act of creating is not only a joy in itself but also a way to bring joy to others.”
27. “Art has the power to transform, to illuminate, to educate, inspire, and motivate.”
28. “That’s something I learned in art school. I studied design in Germany, and my professor emphasized the responsibility that designers and illustrators have towards the people they create things for.”
29. “Ever since I was very young, as far back as I can remember, I have loved making pictures. I knew even as a child that, when I grew up, I would be an artist of some kind. The lovely feeling of my pencil touching paper, a crayon making a star shape in my sketchbook, or my brush dipping into bright and colorful paints — these things affect me as joyfully today as they did all those years ago.”
Quotes from Eric Carle About Being an Author
It’s amazing to me that Eric Carle never thought his book The Very Hungry Caterpillar would become what it is today – a book that continues to sell millions of copies worldwide.
30. “I find it very moving that there are parents who grew up reading my books, who are now reading them to their own children. It is very meaningful to know that my work has been enjoyed by generations of readers.”
31. “I have always strived to create entertaining and educational books, books that children will want to read again and again.”
32. “My favorite book is, “Do You Want To Be My Friend?” It’s a mouse looking for a friend, and I grew up as an only child and friendship was always so important to me.”
33. “Let’s put it this way: if you are a novelist, I think you start out with a 20 word idea, and you work at it, and you wind up with a 200,000 word novel. We, picture book people, or at least I, start out with 200,000 words, and I reduce it to 20.”
34. “Ultimately, my aim is to entertain, and sometimes to enlighten, the child who still lives inside of me.”
Quotes About The Famous Book “The Very Hungry Caterpillar”
The Very Hungry Caterpillar has sold more than 45 million copies since its release in 1969.
35. “For a long time, I did not understand why my book The Very Hungry Caterpillar was so popular. But over time I have come to believe many children can identify with the helpless, small, insignificant caterpillar, and they rejoice when it turns into a beautiful butterfly.”
36. “The Very Hungry Caterpillar story is about hope. You, like the little caterpillar, will grow up, unfold your wings and fly off into the future.”
37. “You know, now it’s sinking in. It’s taken me a long time to realize – and it is sinking in – how important this book is. And I have a certain distance now. I’ve done it such a long time ago.”
38. “I think it’s a message of hope. It says, ‘I too can grow up. I too can unfold my wings, my talents and dreams, and fly into the world’.
Which of these Eric Carle inspirational quotes is your favorite?
The Very Hungry Caterpillar on Amazon
I can remember reading Eric Carle’s book The Very Hungry Caterpillar as a child and absolutely loving it. It always felt like a special book between the story of hope and the beautiful illustrations themselves.
I must’ve read this book 100 times as a child and I can’t wait to read it to little ones one day!
If you have a child, or someone you know does, The Very Hungry Caterpillar is a classic gift that they are sure to love for years and years to come.
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