According to a ＿＿（30）＿＿ , Eric Carle, an American-German author, designer and illustrator of children’s books, passed away peacefully and surrounded by family members on May 23, 2021, at his summer studio in Northampton, Massachusetts. He was 91 years old. Carle’s picture books were often about spiders, lady bugs, crickets and, of course, that famous caterpillar, all as colorful and friendly as Carle himself. The Very Hungry Caterpillar is probably his ＿＿（31）＿＿ work. “I think it started with my father. He took me for long walks and explained things to me,” Carle told NPR* in 2007. ＿＿（32）＿＿ of his career, Carle illustrated more than 70 books for kids. But he didn’t get started on that path until he was nearly 40. Martin, a professor at the University of Washington, told NPR the book builds ＿＿（33）＿＿ by gently guiding toddlers toward unfamiliar words. However, Carle, who first illustrated Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? by his friend Bill Martin Jr., wanted The Very Hungry Caterpillar to serve as a literary cocoon for children getting ready for kindergarten. I think that is the ＿＿（34）＿＿ of that book. *NPR is an independent, nonprofit media organization that was founded on a mission to create a more informed public.