The Very Hungry Caterpillar is as lively as eight 5-year-olds (that's 40)

For anyone age 45 and younger, the children's book, The Very Hungry Caterpillar, was part of growing up. Its author and illustrator, Eric Carle, is profiled in a recent Newsweek story.

His 200-word story about a caterpillar who devours a sausage, a cupcake, a watermelon and more—there are holes drilled into the book to represent all that nibbling—celebrates its 40th anniversary this week. "

In addition to discussing Carle's literary work, the Newsweek story tells of his childhood in Nazi Germany where he was able to connect with art in spite of Hitler's reign of totalitarian control. Ultimately, Carle ended up in the United States, working as a graphic artist and illustrator.

[At 80 years old now,] Carle seems to have reached a sweet spot in his life—he posted a picture on his blog recently of him eating breakfast with a spoonful of his favorite food: Black Forest honey. "I'm very happy," he says. "In fact, I told my wife I've never been so happy." It might have taken him 40 years, but Eric Carle is finally as free as a butterfly.