The Strange But True Stories Behind Your Favorite Childhood Books

Eric Carle Dug Trenches In WWII Germany

Photo Credit: Jonathan Wiggs/The Boston Globe via Getty Images

Eric Carle, the American illustrator and writer of The Very Hungry Caterpillar and other children’s books, moved to Germany as a kid in the 1930s.

While he was there, he was ordered to dig trenches for the German army when he was 15 years old. Now, at 88 years old, he is one of the youngest surviving WWII veterans.