最初は「あおむし」ではなかった

承前*1

Richard Lea “Eric Carle, The Very Hungry Caterpillar author and illustrator, dies at 91” https://www.theguardian.com/books/2021/may/27/eric-carle-author-and-illustrator-of-the-very-hungry-caterpillar-dies-at-91


『ガーディアン』のエリック・カール訃報から少しコピー。
先ず、


Through books such as Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?, Do You Want to Be My Friend? and From Head to Toe, Carle introduced universal themes in simple words and bright colours.

“The unknown often brings fear with it,” he once said. “In my books I try to counteract this fear, to replace it with a positive message. I believe that children are naturally creative and eager to learn. I want to show them that learning is really both fascinating and fun.”

実は、『はらぺこあおむし』は元々は「あおむし」の話ではなかった;

The Very Hungry Caterpillar, published in 1969, was welcomed by parents and children with its story of the metamorphosis of a green and red caterpillar with a touch of blue and brown to a proudly multi-coloured butterfly.

Originally conceived as a book about a bookworm – called A Week with Willi the Worm – the hero, who eats through 26 different foods, was changed to a caterpillar on the advice of his editor. It has sold 40m copies and been translated into 60 languages, spawned stuffed animal caterpillars and has been turned into a stage play.

See also


Julia Eccleshare*2Eric Carle obituary” https://www.theguardian.com/books/2021/may/27/eric-carle-obituary