The Very Hungry Caterpillar
By Eric Carle
Review by: Laura Wood
This book begins with a tiny egg lying on a leaf. When Sunday morning comes, the bright sun comes up and the caterpillar comes out of the egg. This is no ordinary caterpillar. This is a very hungry caterpillar.
The caterpillar goes on a search for food. He eats one through one apple on Monday and two pears on Tuesday. On Wednesday he munches through three plums. Thursday he is still hungry so he finds four strawberries to eat, and nibbles on five oranges on Friday. On Saturday, he is still so very hungry, so he eats through a lot of unusual things for a caterpillar, things like salami, cherry pie, ice cream, and even watermelon. Saturday night he has a tummy ache. It is Sunday again, and the caterpillar is still hungry so instead of more junk food, he finds a nice green leaf to munch through. This makes his tummy feel much better, too.
Because of all the things he eats, he isn’t little anymore. He is a big, fat caterpillar. The big caterpillar builds a cocoon around him and stays inside for a couple of weeks. Soon he is ready to get out of his house. The book concludes with the caterpillar nibbling his way out – and becoming a lovely butterfly.
A great introductory science lesson for preschoolers age 2 years and up.
