The Very Hungry Caterpillar

The Very Hungry Caterpillar

4.26 of 5 stars 4.26  ·  rating details  ·  136,767 ratings  ·  3,086 reviews
"The very hungry caterpillar literally eats his way through the pages of the book—and right into your child's heart..."
Mother's Manual "Gorgeously illustrated, brilliantly innovative..."
The New York Times Book Review
Board Book, 13 pages
Published March 23rd 1994 by Philomel (first published 1969)
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Rebecca
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.
Chris
I actually gave this book 5 stars, but the very hungry caterpillar ate one of them.

Also, did anyone else get a defective book? My version has a bunch of holes in it.
Kate
I believe this book is THE MAJOR CAUSE of the childhood obesity epidemic currently sweeping the nation. Still, nice illustrations.
Manual
Jun 26, 2008 Manual rated it 5 of 5 stars  ·  review of another edition Recommends it for: anyone looking for a good read
Recommended to Manual by: Bill Bryson
Shelves: fiction
A deeply touching saga of the hardship of a young catapillar's life.
The main character has to overcome his ravenous appetite on his jouney to become a butterfly.
There were were in my eyes and laughter too as I jouneyed with the catapillar in the greatest epic ever told.
We had much to learn from the noble catapillar.
Ben Rawson
Sep 12, 2007 Ben Rawson rated it 5 of 5 stars  ·  review of another edition Recommends it for: everyone
Shelves: tanesbooks
I this book we learn that caterpillars, like humans, enjoy eating junk food, but are probably better off just eating leaves, like humans...
Nazrul
A good children’s book is full of wonderful and eye catching illustration with a entertaining and humerous storyline. Eric Carle’s book, The Very Hungry Caterpillar has all this and more.

The story is based on a hungry caterpillar who eats his way through the different days of the week (and the pages) enjoying different types of food; from fruits to swiss cheese to chocolate and ice cream, and not surprisingly, the caterpillar ends up with a stomach ache which is then relieved by a green leaf. T...more
James
Dang you caterpillar... Now Im hungry!

In all seriousness, I loved this book as a child and I have read it to my children many times.
Pirate
kids: 3
times I've read this book: zillions
times I've loved reading this book: every single one
Sara Darr
I remember this book being read to me when I was child and it is still an all-time favourite story of mine. It is suited for EYFS and KS1. The illustrations in this book are so eye catching and vibrant that they really make the story come to life! It is the story of a caterpillar's journey in becoming a butterfly.

Another cross curricular book with limitless activities from writing their own 'The Very Hungry...' book, counting, adding and subtracting, healthy eating, life cycle, symmetry/patterns...more
Sandile
I recall reading this book many years ago and it still remains as one of my favourite stories. I recently shared it with a Nursery class as I was teaching the children about The Butterfly Life Cycle. The children were ecstatic, as the book is full of rich colours. One of the added bonuses of this story is that it is very cross curricular; one could incorporate counting activities, sequencing in Literacy, Knowledge and Understanding of the world (KUW) life Cycles and fruits.
I would recommend this...more
Mehzabin
'The very hungry caterpillar' is an amazing book with eye catching illustrations, which really brings the story to life! The story is about a caterpillar's journey to becoming a butterfly.

This book is suitable for children aged 3-6. it can be used in the classroom to teach addition, subtraction, symmetry, the days of the week, prediction and sequencing and even the butterfly life cycle! This truly is an excellent book, no classroom should be without it!
Matt
My friend, who is media specialist, bought this for my daughter for a baby shower gift. Since then, it has become a favorite of our family reading time. I love the message of growing up and changing and realizing that too much of anything can give you a tummy ache. Also, how cool is it that there are holes in the book where the caterpillar has eaten.
Maria
I don't think much needs to be said about this book because I think pretty much everyone has read it. You know it's going to be special as soon as you touch the pages which are heavier than your average paper. From that point on it is virtuosity. The story is succinct, educational (you learn numbers, foods, and about butterfly life cycles), and beautiful. The author bio on the back cover says "His pictures for this book are cut and layered collages... overprinted with ink, crayon, and tempura"....more
Megan
Mar 08, 2008 Megan rated it 5 of 5 stars  ·  review of another edition Recommends it for: children everywhere
Recommended to Megan by: My mom! Love you Mom!
Shelves: childrens
So now you can find all kinds of hands on children's books, with flaps to lift, pages that fold out, pop up portions, textures affixed to pages, and computer chips embedded in the books. Reading time for children can be an active playtime. But when I was little we didn't have these cool things. Eric Carl was the first author/illustrator to come up with the concept of interactive books. The little holes are absolutely irrestible to little fingers. Who can stop themselves from putting their finger...more
Danielle
PB #3: I absolutely LOVE this book! The illustrations are awesome and I absolutely love how interactive the book is. The little holes in the food throughout the book to show what the caterpillar ate is genius! One of my favorite books when I was growing up and I love reading this one to the kids I babysit!
Destinee Sutton
SPOILER! He turns into a butterfly.
Amy
1) Genre: Concept: Days of week/numbers

2) A very hungry caterpillar loves food so much he eats for an entire week until he eventually transforms into a butterfly. Not only does this book teach children about the days of the work, students will also learn about numbers and the steps a caterpillar undergoes to become a butterfly.

3) Critique:

a) The best aspect of this book are the stunning illustrations.

b) The content of the book is very simple; however, the accompanying illustrations really ma...more
Lorraine Gaule
‘The Hungry Caterpillar’ by Eric Carle, follows a green caterpillar that hatches from an egg that experiences an enormous hunger for food. The caterpillar then eats his way through a variety of foods on different days of the week, until he gets a stomach ache. Fortunately, eating one green leaf helps. The now very fat caterpillar builds a cocoon, and after resting for two weeks he emerges as a beautiful butterfly!
I enjoyed reading this book as it has colourful illustrations and collages through...more
Grace Abwooli
This story gives the account of an incredibly hungry caterpillar. The story begins by painting the picture of how the caterpillar came to life. The book goes on to tell the reader all the different foods the caterpillar ate on each day of the week starting from Monday. By Saturday the caterpillar ate through one piece of chocolate cake, one ice cream cone, and one pickle, one slice of swiss chesse, one slice of salami, on e lolly pop, one piece of cherry pie, one sausage, one cupcake and one sli...more
Layla & Rachel
We have differing views on Eric Carle's The Very Hungry Caterpillar. This is Rachel's absolute favorite Eric Carle book (it is after all the classic Eric Carle), but Layla prefers The Very Busy Spider. Most likely the difference is because Layla loves animal noises and Rachel loves food. Just a theory.

So back to The Very Hungry Caterpillar. We could sprout off some nonsense about how we enjoy the knowledge Layla can gain about life cycles of caterpillars/butterflies. But who wants to learn? Ble...more
Rachel Burke
The Very Hungry Caterpillar is an awesome picture book for children between the ages 5-7. It has won multiple awards, including: The American Institue of Graphic Arts Award (1970), the Selection du Grand Prix des Treize in France, and the Nakamori Readers Prize in Japan. This book is about a caterpillar and how he eats and eats and then turns into a cocoon and becomes a butterfly. I gave this book a 4 star rating because I love the book and illustration but I feel like it is kind of just a list....more
Katie
The Very Hungry Caterpillar is a well-known and much loved book written by Eric Carle. This classic picture book follows the story of a young caterpillar from birth until he becomes a beautiful butterfly. The incredible use of vibrant colors in this book are the first thing that grab the readers attention. Each page is full of great illustrations that only enhance the already wonderful storyline. Along with the illustrations, the book has holes in some of the pages to show the caterpillar eating...more
Holly Hardwick
Eric Carle's The Very Hungry Caterpillar is one of the most famous children's books for a reason. It is colorful and incredibly engaging book in it's format and story line. Students will be fascinated as they see the caterpillar grow larger as he eats more and more as the days progress. His transformation from a caterpillar to a beautiful butterfly would be a wonderful way to make connections between literature and science. Math connections could be made as well in regards to counting the foods...more
Bailey Ubellacker
While subbing at Maxwell Elementary School this week I happened across The Very Hungry Caterpillar and decided to work it into my student’s day. I remember having this book read to me as I sat on the lap of my kindergarten teacher many, many years ago. Know I am able to create the sense of wonder of reading in young children myself. Eric Carle has mastered watercolor and his simplicity of the story line matched with a creative twist on normal picture books entices young audiences. The holes in t...more
Christian Houseworth
I really enjoyed reading this book! This book was about the process a caterpillar went through in order to become a butterfly. The book talks about how he ate so much and became really big. Towards the end of the story, the caterpillar ended up having a stomach ache but he gained relief in eating a green leaf. The illustrations are great and very engaging for the little ones. The pages are enticing for young eyes because some are small and they have holes in them to represent the caterpillar eat...more
Bob Berkshire
Eric Carle is one of my more favorite childhood authors, mostly because of the beautiful color and art that he brought along with his books. This one is no exception, and the Very Hungry Caterpillar is still a giant hit with young children to this day. The vocabulary for this book is not anything majorly complex, allowing for children to learn key vocabulary (for example, the days of the week, numbers, and types of food). A lot of that has to do with the aforementioned art aspect, and how with e...more
Edward Knapp
Jan 09, 2013 Edward Knapp marked it as to-read  ·  review of another edition Recommends it for: Children from aged 2-5
The fourth book that I have decided to review is an all time classic. Eric Carle’s The Very Hungry Caterpillar. The Very Hungry Caterpillar is a spectacularly colourful and surprisingly heart warming children’s book. It is exceptionally popular and memorable as it is one of the first book’s people recall when considering early literature. The story is a very simple one. It starts with a small caterpillar who is very hungry and continuously eats a number of different foods until it turns onto a B...more
Tanvir Haque
This book is appropriate for EYFS and also Year 1 (as I used it in my SBT1 Year 1 class); that is to say children aged 3-7. It's a picture book detailing the adventures of a caterpillar, eating through different types of food for 7 days, and then hibernating for 2 weeks in a cocoon, later to emerge as a beautiful, colourful butterfly!

The strength of this book lies, first, in its easy to understand storyline. The real life transformation of a walking creature into a flying one, as depicted in the...more
Jade Estall
The very hungry caterpillar is the story of a caterpillar's path to becoming a beautiful butterfly. It is a lovely colourful book which I feel would help keep children engaged. Perfectly suited to children in the EYFS and KS1, it also comes in an over sized version great for story time. At the school I’m currently in they also have puppets of the different stages of the story which could be used to get the children involved especially aiding kinaesthetic learners.
This book could be used in a num...more
Melissa
Genre: Realistic fiction

Review: From Publishers Weekly
In honor of the 40th anniversary of Eric Carle's The Very Hungry Caterpillar comes the first-ever pop-up edition of this book. When the familiar, tiny caterpillar pops out of his egg, a dial lets readers help him chug across Carle's earthy color palette. Next, the caterpillar eats his way through a week's worth of pop-up fruit, as well as a full-page display of sweet and savory treats, (resulting in a stomach-ache), before his eventual transi...more
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The Very Hungry Caterpillar (Board book)
The Very Hungry Caterpillar (Hardcover)
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The Very Hungry Caterpillar
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Eric Carle (born June 25, 1929) is a children's book author and illustrator, most famous for his book The Very Hungry Caterpillar, which has been translated into over 30 languages. Since The Very Hungry Caterpillar was published in 1969, Eric Carle has illustrated more than seventy books, many best sellers, most of which he also wrote, and more than 71 million copies of his books have sold around...more
More about Eric Carle...
The Very Busy Spider The Grouchy Ladybug The Very Quiet Cricket The Mixed-Up Chameleon From Head to Toe

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“On Saturday, he ate through one piece of chocolate cake, one ice-cream cone, one pickle, one slice of Swiss cheese, one slice of salami, one lollipop, one piece of cherry pie, one sausage, one cupcake, and one slice of watermelon

That night he had a stomach ache.”
43 people liked it
“He built a small house, called a cocoon, around himself. He stayed inside for more than two weeks. Then he nibbled a hole in the cocoon, pushed his way out and...

he was a beautiful butterfly!”
14 people liked it
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