The Caterpillow Fight

The Giggle Club

by Sam McBratney

All the caterpillars have gone to bed, with their caterpillows for their little heads. But in the middle of the night, one caterpillar decides to wake all the others for a thumping, whumping caterpillow fight!

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens

24 pages, Library Binding

First published January 1, 1996

About the author

The 1943 born Northern Ireland native started writing children's books when he was a teacher in his thirties, with the aim of helping out students who had trouble reading. But he continued writing for a more-personal reason: "the act of imagining simply makes me feel good," he says. The fifty-seventh book of Sam McBratney's career, and his first book with Candlewick Press, was the much-loved GUESS HOW MUCH I LOVE YOU, which has sold an astonishing 15 million copies worldwide, and is available in 37 languages. "This is not the sort of thing you expect when most of your books have been remaindered," the author admits. "But, as the frog trapped in the milk discovered, if you keep going, sometimes you find yourself walking on cream cheese."

Where does Sam McBratney get his inspiration? "I told my children stories when they were young," he says, "so when I write I try to think of what they would have liked." But there may be another source guiding his writing as well. The author's father--who worked as a type compositor with the BELFAST TELEGRAPH, and whose favorite books were westerns--is the person Sam McBratney credits for giving him his love of the English language. "Most of my picture books--GUESS HOW MUCH I LOVE YOU, THE DARK AT THE TOP OF THE STAIRS, JUST ONE!, and JUST YOU AND ME--explore the relationship between a big one and a wee one," the author notes. "The big one is not called the father in the stories, but that's what he is. Although my dad died before I became a writer, the father in my stories has a voice and a presence that he would have recognized and understood."

In addition to authoring many books for children, Sam McBratney wrote radio plays for adults and a prize-winning collection of short stories. He received a degree in history and political science from Trinity College, Dublin, and worked for many years as a teacher.

Reviews

[Julia Jasztal · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mommy's review from 11/2/11 -


This is the third book Julia's taken out from her school library. I love seeing what she's picked all by herself as opposed to when we go to the library together and she's more interested in playing with the kids there while I pick most of the books we take home.
This is super cute too - while reading the changing of 'caterpillar' to 'caterpillow' sounds too funny and really brings some laughs. The wording flows easily which is crucial with a book like this - no parts are forced.
Jill Barton's illustrations are just as cute as the story - the little faces on the caterpillars are awesome! Julia already told me she wants to read this again before she takes it back.
And this can be read to any age also. Julia's 6 now but I wouldn't hesitate to read this to a baby or toddler.

[Andrea Renfrow · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think this one is cute. The play on words is fun and the ending makes me giggle. My kids, though, have been universally bored with it and opt for longer stories. This is definitely a good quickie for short attention spans, but not ideal for children who relish lengthy tales.

[Nikki · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is super cute! I am definitely going to read it when I teach the kids about caterpillars and butterflies.

[Melinda Christensen · Rating 4 out of 5]

This outlandish book of silly verse and darling pictures is a joy to read! It show little caterpillars having a pillow fight.

[Tessa · Rating 4 out of 5]

This a such a cute fun bedtime story that all young kids love to read! It allows them to think what is going to happen next in the story as the book does a good job at letting kids guess what will happen next. I read this in my read aloud for my kindergartners and they fully enjoyed this book.

[Dolly · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a humorous, rhyming story about not-so-sleepy caterpillars. The narrative is entertaining and fun to read aloud and the illlustrations are cartoonish and colorful. We enjoyed reading this book together.

[Hannah Richardson]

The caterpillars were all fast asleep on their individual pillows when one caterpillar decided the pillows would be perfect for a pillow fight and alas the caterpillow fight broke loose. The caterpillars were having a ball hitting each other with their caterpillows up until the big caterpillar comes in and breaks up the party. Obviously the big caterpillar was not about having fun caterpillow fights because they sewed up all of the caterpillars pillows. No longer could the caterpillars have caterpillow fights. They were now all fast asleep on one long caterpillow.

I love any book that works with a play on words. This was such a creative idea. I know little kiddos would find this book so amusing because I (as a 20-year-old) do(:

This book would be perfect for a cute free read to the class. It's fun and light hearted and also shows an authority figure.