He showed me the dark, humidity-controlled room where children’s board books were kept after they were bound, so that the glue dried without warping the board pages. He opened the door and switched on the lights to reveal row after row of illustrated board books on wooden pallets. Oh, The Very Hungry Caterpillar, I said, locating one stack of board books. Yes, very popular, he affirmed. We do so many reprints. As we turned to leave, he asked: Why is it so popular in America? I shrugged. I guess it teaches children counting skills. They practice counting all the apples that the caterpillar
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