Mod 2: The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle

Summary:

The Very Hungry Caterpillar Tells the story of a newborn little caterpillar that is constantly hungry, so he spends a whole week eating a variety of different foods in increasingly larger amounts.  He gets a stomach ache on saturday after eating a whole bunch of junk food.  On Sunday he feels better after eating a large leaf, and he is no longer little but very fat.  He forms a cocoon and then emerges at the end as a butterfly.

Carle, E. (1969). The very hungry caterpillar. New York, NY: Philomel Books.

My Impressions:

A very cute story that I remember for when I was a child.  The art is very colorful and simplistic and the pages actually have holes where the caterpillar has "eaten" through the picture of whatever it is he ate.  The paper cut art style is very effective in my opinion, and unlike the artwork in some older books, it retains a timeless quality to it.

Reviews:
"In the light of the moon a little egg lay on a leaf." So begins Eric Carle's modern classic,The Very Hungry Caterpillar. More than 12 million copies of this book have been sold in its original, full-sized edition, and the beloved tale of science and gluttony has been translated into 20 languages. This five-by-four-inch miniature edition is truly tiny, with tiny type, but it is a nice size for small hands to hold and flip through the pictures. Despite its diminished state, the book is complete in every detail, following the ravenous caterpillar's path as he eats his way through one apple (and the pages of the book itself) on Monday, two pears on Tuesday, three plums on Wednesday, and so on, through cherry pie and sausage--until he is really fat and has a stomachache. And no doubt you know what happens next! Kids love butterfly metamorphosis stories, and this popular favorite teaches counting and the days of the week, too. A fun gift package for caterpillar fans. (Baby to preschool)--Karin Snelson
(Cite amazon.com review: http://www.amazon.com/Very-Hungry-Caterpillar-Eric-Carle/dp/0399226907/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1424293781&sr=8-2&keywords=a+very+hungry+caterpillar)

Usage in a Library Setting:

After reading the book at a story time, there could be an activity where children cut out their own caterpillar shapes in construction paper and glue together their own very hungry caterpillar to take home.