Squiggly Wiggly's Surprise: A Finger Puppet Learns About Colors

by Arnold Shapiro

Squiggly Wiggly's Surprise by Arnold Shapiro is an interactive book in which the child uses a finger puppet caterpillar to learn about colors. Each page features a hole in the page that the finger puppet comes through to allow Squiggly Wiggly to experience something different on each page. From leaves to flowers, Squiggly Wiggly travels through the seasons and ends up making himself a cocoon in which he becomes a beautiful butterfly. This book teaches colors so that the child will be able to learn them by Squiggly Wiggly sitting on and eating green leaves, sitting on and smelling a red rose, yellow daisy, purple pansy, talking to a blue bird, and admiring the orange orange. The child becomes entranced by the finger puppet and, at the same time, learns what colors to associate with certain things by Squiggly Wiggly's contact with these flowers, fruits, leaves, and animals. The book also teaches a child about the life cycle of a caterpillar through the pictures and the finger puppet's involvement in these pictures. When Squiggly appears in the snow, he becomes very cold, and because it is winter the cold signals hibernation. In the next picture, Squiggly spins a brown sack around himself, after which he is shown inside the black sack, and he grows tired and falls asleep. The next picture shows Squiggly waking up as a butterfly. Using color and these particular pictures enables a child to learn about the stages that a caterpillar goes through before he becomes a beautiful butterfly. I feel that both techniques used to teach color and pictures showing a caterpillar's development process, are both highly effective in teaching child readers. The interactive portion of this book also appeals to children because they can participate in the book as they read it

Genres: Childrens

20 pages, Hardcover

First published March 1, 1980

Reviews

[Jennifer · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was my favorite book growing up! I loved interacting with the puppet, who helped tell the story of a how a caterpillar became a beautiful butterfly. My mom always tells the story of when we went to the state fair when I was 2 years old. I saw a train-type ride that was the shape of a caterpillar and went around a small track. I had to get on! I yelled "SQUIGGLY WIGGLY" and refused to get off the ride. The operator thought it was so funny that he let me ride squiggly wiggly all afternoon. I LOVED THIS BOOK!

[Abigail · Rating 4 out of 5]

Yes i read a book for babies, do I care no. It is so much fun to go back and look at childhood books especially this delight.

[Spencer · Rating 4 out of 5]

2021
Adorable story about growing up

[Jennifer Truman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun book and finger puppet keeps little kids attention as we explore around the different color flowers and critters in the garden.

[Jaime · Rating 5 out of 5]

Childhood fave that I can now share with my children.

[Gabrielle Link · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this book, it reminds me of my childhood. Mine is dated 1978.

[Melissa · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is my childhood copy - I loved it then and I love it now (as does Benji! )