Just 224 words long, Eric Carle\u2019s classic children\u2019s book, \u2018The Very Hungry Caterpillar\u2019, 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.\xa0\nCarle'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.\nIn this episode, Arion, Rebecca and Olly ponder why Carle\u2019s 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 \u2026\nFurther Reading:\n\u2022 \u2018The Very Hungry Caterpillar: 50 years of magical reading for children\u2019 (The Independent, 2019): https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/books/features/the-very-hungry-caterpillar-author-eric-carle-anniversary-50-a8937571.html\n\u2022\xa0\u2019The Enduring Whimsy and Wonderment of Eric Carle\u2019 (The New York Times, 2021): https://www.nytimes.com/2021/07/25/books/review/eric-carle-tiny-seeds-very-hungry-caterpillar.html?searchResultPosition=1\n\u2022 \u2018Eric Carle Discusses 50 Years of The Very Hungry Caterpillar\u2019 (Penguin Kids, 2019): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vYwE8qALm9M\n#Books #60s #Inventions #US\nLove the show? Support us!\xa0\nJoin\xa0\U0001f334CLUB RETROSPECTORS\U0001f334to DITCH THE ADS and get an additional full-length episode each SUNDAY\u2026\xa0\n\u2026 Plus, get weekly bonus bits, and unlock over 100 bits of extra content.\xa0\nJoin now with a free trial on Apple Podcasts or Patreon and support our show \u2764\ufe0f\nThe Retrospectors are Olly Mann, Rebecca Messina & Arion McNicoll, with Matt Hill.\nTheme Music: Pass The Peas. Announcer: Bob Ravelli. Graphic Design: Terry Saunders. Edit Producer: Ollie Peart.\nCopyright: Rethink Audio / Olly Mann 2024.\n Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.\nLearn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices