Author of ‘The Very Hungry Caterpillar’ Eric Carle, 91, died on Sunday, according to Associated Press. Carle was well-known for for penning down and illustrating stories for children. His works gave millions of kids some of their earliest and most cherished literary memories.

According to Carle’s family, he died on Sunday at his summer studio in Northampton, Massachusetts, with family members at his side. This announcement made by his family was issued by Penguin Young Readers, reported Associated Press.

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H Reynolds, author and illustrator of ‘The Dot’, while paying tribute to Carle, wrote on his official Twitter handle, “Heaven just got more colorful. Eric Carle, 91, made his mark, splashing bravely & inspiring those around him to do the same.”

Carle introduced universal themes in simple words and bright colours through his books like – ‘Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?’, ‘Do You Want to Be My Friend?’ and ‘From Head to Toe.’

One of his most famous book, ‘The Very Hungry Caterpillar’ published in 1969, was warmly welcomed by parents. It delighted kids with its story of the metamorphosis of a green and red caterpillar to a proudly multi-coloured butterfly.

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“Caterpillar is a book of hope: you, too, can grow up and grow wings,” Carle had told The New York Times in 1994.

Carle wrote and illustrated more than 75 books. At times, he partnered with Bill Martin Jr or other authors, but most of the time, he worked alone.

National Book Award finalist Jarrett J Krosoczka wrote on Twitter, “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.”

Carle was born to German immigrant parents in Syracuse, New York. He and his family returned to Germany, the then, Nazi Germany, at the time when he was 6. Under the Nazis, modern, expressionistic and abstract art was completely banned and only realistic and naturalistic art was permitted.

It was his father, who introduced him to the wonders of the living creatures that he would later immortalise in his books.

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In 2002, Carle and his late wife, Barbara Carle, founded The Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art. It is a nonprofit museum based in Amherst, Massachusetts. The 40,000-square-foot arts center is a showcases picture book illustrations from all across the world.

Carle has also received a lifetime achievement awards from the National Endowment for the Arts and the American Library Association. He is survived by a son and a daughter.