Eric Carle, Author of ‘The Very Hungry Caterpillar,’ Dead at 91

Eric Carle, the beloved children’s book author/illustrator, has died at age 91. 

His family confirmed the news with a tribute message posted on his website Wednesday night. It read: “In the light of the moon, holding on to a good star, a painter of rainbows, is now traveling across the night sky.”

According to the New York Times, Carle died Sunday at his summer studio in Northampton, Massachusetts. His son Rolf told the publication that the cause of death was kidney failure.

Carle’s writing and illustration career took off in the 1960s, following the publication of Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? with Bill Martin, Jr. He would go on to write and illustrate more than 70 books, which have sold over 170 million copies. Some of his most famous titles include 1977’s The Grouchy Ladybug, 1984’s The Very Busy Spider, and 1986’s Papa, Please Get the Moon for Me. However, his most famous work was 1969’s The Very Hungry Caterpillar, which has reportedly sold more than 55 million copies worldwide.

In honor of The Very Hungry Caterpillar’s 50th anniversary, Carle spoke about the book’s origins and why he believes it has become such a classic.

“Where does the idea come from? In the case of the Caterpillar, I had an idea about a worm; so that’s the beginning of The Very Hungry Caterpillar,” he said in a Penguin Kids video. “This book has been done in 62 languages. I think the children are the ones who have kept it in the market for 50 years. So it has something to do with the love of something, and that makes me feel very good.”