Eric Carle Paper
ERIC CARLE
Danielle Alvarez
February 24, 2015
Creative Arts
Eric Carle was born June 25, 1929 to Erich and Johanna Carle in Syracuse, New York. When Eric was only six years old, his mother became homesick for Germany, so the family moved back to Stuttgart, Germany. He continued his education there and graduated from the local art school, The Akademie der bildenden Künste. Eric's father was drafted into the German army at the beginning of World War II in 1939 and was taken prisoner by the Soviet forces when Germany surrendered early in 1945. Eric’s father returned home late in 1947 weighing only 85 pounds. "When he came back, he was a broken man; he was a sick man, psychologically, and physically devastated" Carle told The Guardian years later. Eric had been sent to the small town of Schwenningen to escape the bombings of Stuttgart. When he was 15 the German government conscripted boys of that age to dig trenches on the Siegfried line. Eric was always homesick for America. He dreamed of returning one day and so he moved to New York City in 1952 with only $40 in his pocket. Once there Eric landed a job as a graphic designer in the promotion department of The New York Times. He was drafted into the U.S. Army during the Korean War and was stationed in Germany with the Second Armored Division as a mail clerk. After he was discharged he returned to his old job with The New York Times. Later he became the art director of an advertising agency for many years. One day, a respected educator and author, Bill Martin Jr, called and asked Eric to illustrate a story he had written. Martin’s eye had been caught by a striking picture of a red lobster that Carle had created for an advertisement. Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? is the result of Carle and Martin’s collaboration. This book is still a favorite with children everywhere. This became the beginning of Eric Carle’s true career. Soon after that Carle started writing his own stories. His first original book
Danielle Alvarez
February 24, 2015
Creative Arts
Eric Carle was born June 25, 1929 to Erich and Johanna Carle in Syracuse, New York. When Eric was only six years old, his mother became homesick for Germany, so the family moved back to Stuttgart, Germany. He continued his education there and graduated from the local art school, The Akademie der bildenden Künste. Eric's father was drafted into the German army at the beginning of World War II in 1939 and was taken prisoner by the Soviet forces when Germany surrendered early in 1945. Eric’s father returned home late in 1947 weighing only 85 pounds. "When he came back, he was a broken man; he was a sick man, psychologically, and physically devastated" Carle told The Guardian years later. Eric had been sent to the small town of Schwenningen to escape the bombings of Stuttgart. When he was 15 the German government conscripted boys of that age to dig trenches on the Siegfried line. Eric was always homesick for America. He dreamed of returning one day and so he moved to New York City in 1952 with only $40 in his pocket. Once there Eric landed a job as a graphic designer in the promotion department of The New York Times. He was drafted into the U.S. Army during the Korean War and was stationed in Germany with the Second Armored Division as a mail clerk. After he was discharged he returned to his old job with The New York Times. Later he became the art director of an advertising agency for many years. One day, a respected educator and author, Bill Martin Jr, called and asked Eric to illustrate a story he had written. Martin’s eye had been caught by a striking picture of a red lobster that Carle had created for an advertisement. Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? is the result of Carle and Martin’s collaboration. This book is still a favorite with children everywhere. This became the beginning of Eric Carle’s true career. Soon after that Carle started writing his own stories. His first original book