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The Very Hungry Caterpillar

143 Reviews

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"In the light of the moon a little egg lay on a leaf."

********* The Very Hungry Caterpillar is a classic children's story - the essential first book for babies. In this 2018 edition, Eric Carle's artwork has been restored to its original bright, bold colours. The Very Hungry Caterpillar has sold over 45 million copies worldwide. Its vivid and colourful collage illustrations and its deceptively simple, hopeful story have helped it become the most read children's book in Britain. With its die-cut pages and finger-sized holes to explore, this is a richly satisfying book for babies and toddlers.
In this sturdy board book format, your little one is safe to play and tumble with their copy. This new edition also comes with an extra tough cover, so it can stay beautiful for longer. Eric Carle's iconic illustrations have inspired generations of little readers, and his books are must-haves for every nursery. "Every child should have a copy" - The Telegraph **********

Don't miss out on the other Very Hungry Caterpillar and Eric Carle books: Sleep Tight, Very Hungry Caterpillar;
Where Is The Very Hungry Caterpillar;
The Very Hungry Caterpillar: Touch and Feel Playbook;
The Very Hungry Caterpillar: Little Learning Library;
The Very Hungry Caterpillar Big Board Book;
The Very Hungry Caterpillar Book and Toy;
The Very Busy Spider;
The Bad-Tempered Ladybird
From Head to Toe

ISBN: 9780241003008
Pub Date: 29th September 1994
Publisher: Penguin Books Ltd
Imprint: Puffin
Format: Other
Number of Pages: 26

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Series

This is Book 1 in the The Very Hungry Caterpillar Series. See all The Very Hungry Caterpillar books here.

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susy Adult 93 book reviews

13th January '18

I read it to samy aged 10 aged 10

A brilliant book that's so coulorful and entertaining and educational at the same time. its the only book I would buy for a toddler.

Sabrina1991 Adult 97 book reviews

19th March '18

I read it to Madh aged 2 aged 2

A lovely colourful story, with a great way to learn about the life cycle of caterpillars.

Abbylovescakes Adult 83 book reviews

6th November '18

I read it to ElijahG aged 5 aged 5 & to MarthaG aged 2 aged 2

You can’t beat this book can you?! Beautiful vibrant illustrations and a simple, repetitive story which children pick up quickly. I remember loving it as a child and bothe my kids have enjoyed it as well. It’s always been a favourite and one that we come back to time and time again. A must have for all families.

miapea Adult 28 book reviews

3rd October '17

I read it to fpea aged 2 aged 2

True classic that every child should have on their bookshelf. We have the small hardback version and the small hardback finger puppet version. My son is nearly three and still picks this story most nights. We love following the journey of the caterpillar who pops from a Tiny egg in the moon, spends a week eating A LOt (introducing early numbers) and then builds a cocoon until POP out comes a beautiful butterfly

Kathryn Adult 91 book reviews

8th October '18

I read it to Olivia2016 aged 2 aged 2 & to Amelia2018 aged 3 months aged 0

This was one of my all time favourite books as a child and I couldn’t wait to read it to both of my children.
I loved it so much I got both the paperback and board book editions!
The pictures and story are wonderfully simple, with holes in the pages to emphasise the caterpillar eating its way through all the food which I think is a fantastic feature.
A short story with simple text allowing a child that’s learning to read the opportunity to see the words clearly enough to read the book themselves.
Highly recommended!

rosieb Adult 16 book reviews

25th March '15

I read it to LizzieBee aged 9 months aged 0

This book went down a storm with my little one. The bright patterns on each page kept her interested throughout. As she gets older it will become a great counting book, a good way to subtley talk about being greedy, and a lovely introduction to the idea of caterpillars becoming butterflies. I remember reading this when I was a child and it is still as lovely today. It also links in nicely with other merchandise (including the number of fruits being the same) which gives great continuity.

Amifrancis1984 Adult 29 book reviews

23rd May '17

I read it to Maddimoo aged 12 aged 12 , to Poohbear aged 9 aged 9 & to Theojohn2014 aged 2 aged 2

This is a classic all time favourite in our house! It is also a book that was used as a theme in a toddler group we go to last week. Theo came home with a picture and a caterpillar fridge magnet he cad made with pom poms a peg and a magnet.

RaspberryGiggle Adult 46 book reviews

6th April '15

I read it to Littllest Miss A aged 0 months aged 0

Mummy told me this is a book every child should read and that she read it lots when she was a little girl. We sat down before bed to read it together. I really enjoyed the story, especially the greedy little caterpillar who ate everything - Saturday was definitely a fun day to read with all of my favourite foods which I helped Mummy to read looking at the pictures! Mummy says this is a great book to learn all about how caterpillars turn into butterflies.

TCR75 Adult 335 book reviews

23rd April '15

I read it to GCR13 aged 2 aged 2

This is a timeless classic and my daughter loves it. She loves counting and recognising the different fruits. She loves recognising the different foods eaten on Saturday especially the ice cream! And she loves the anticipation of seeing the butterfly on the last pages. It is also wonderful for colour recognition as well as introducing life cycles to children. A firm family favourite.

amy07-birmingham Adult 19 book reviews

23rd September '15

Read to children aged 1 , 3 & 5

An old favourite in our house Nice bright colours Helps children learn days of the week Very educational

Jen Adult 26 book reviews

23rd October '15

I read it to Charlie aged 1 aged 1

This is a classic children's story book and it's easy to see why. My son (21 months old) loves the story of the caterpillar who starts as an egg on the Sunday then gradually eats his way through a number of foods throughout the week. My son enjoys counting with me the different pieces of fruit the caterpillar eats each day of the week. The caterpillar obviously doesn't stay little for very long, before becoming a big fat caterpillar, which always makes my son laugh. Then on the final page we see the beautiful butterfly the caterpillar transforms into. The book is beautifully illustrated throughout and holds my sons attention for just the right amount of time. This book is a firm favourite in our house

Busy Mum of 5 Adult 19 book reviews

12th February '16

I read it to Amy aged 3 aged 3

My daughter loved this book being read to her. She knows the story off by heart and likes to tell me how many things the caterpillar ate. The pictures are lovely and bright and the whole family have enjoyed this book at somepoint.

craftyactivist Adult 58 book reviews

6th November '18

I read it to myka aged 1 aged 1

This is a book my daughter has come back to time and time again. It was the first book she engaged with as a young baby and she still reads it at 21 months. Short and sweet, but with opportunities to learn numbers; fruits & lifecycle. Brilliant!

Ruksana39 Adult 15 book reviews

17th October '18

I read it to Dawoud aged 4 aged 4 & to Aimen101 aged 5 aged 5

A marvellous book which was greatly enjoyed by both of my kids. An easy to follow storey with lots of colourful pictures. It would make it a great gift for children of all ages.

hrh2301 Adult 4 book reviews

27th August '18

I read it to RRH aged 2 aged 2

We love this interactive book. My 2 year old loves to help turn the pages and name all of the caterpillars food. This is also great for counting and learning the days of the week - great for an afternoon read in the tepee. Quite a basic book but good to teach the amazing journey of the how the caterpillar turns into the mist beautiful butterfly. We love to look for caterpillars and butterflies in the garden.

Mumma2bow Adult 2 book reviews

4th October '18

I read it to Bowmoira aged 1 aged 1

This is my little girls favourite book right now. She is totally absorbed by the beautiful colours and illustrations and loves to join in on the adventure with the caterpillar! It is always her go to book and every time we read it together she comes away with a different word learnt. Every child should own a copy of this classic story!

Dawney Adult 13 book reviews

26th October '16

I read it to Lilymayf aged 1 aged 1 & to Tjf aged 3 aged 3

This book comes in 2 formats - paperback for reading to any age, or for slightly older children to look at themselves, and hardback for little ones. Currently enjoying the board book with my just 1 yr old granddaughter who shows a real love of books ! She finds the pages easy to turn, and already knows some of the phrases, she looks up at me waiting for me to read the next few words - so no cheating and skipping anything allowed. She loves the bright illustrations and tries to poke her fingers in the holes - be careful not to leave child on their own with this one !
I have enjoyed reading this book since my own children were small and find it can stand repeated reading and still remain a pleasure. Children like to follow the caterpillar through it's daily eating, and it gives them a simple introduction to the lifecycle of the butterfly that it becomes.

Mcgannm Adult 3 book reviews

12th November '18

I read it to Mcgannf aged 2 aged 2

We liked the attention to detail in this book as well as the story itself. There is counting and colours and holes to stick your fingers through! Lovely story and also a pretty good moral to the tale - don't eat too many sugary treats!

Maria74 Adult 17 book reviews

18th November '16

I read it to Alice aged 2 aged 2

I remember reading and loving this book at nursery school so jumped at the chance to read it to my daughter - we started looking at it together when she was about 10 months, obviously just pointing out pictures and colours - now at just 2 we do the whole story with counting the fruits together and trying to say Saturday's food as fast as possible still pointing out different pictures and colours but now we have a massive cheer when we turn to the last page where her turns into a beautiful butterfly!!
My daughter loves the book - we have the small hard page version which is great for toddler hands - I hope in years to come she has the same great memories of it so she buys it and reads it to her children...

Ragdollkhan Adult 323 book reviews

2nd November '16

I read it to Ragdollkhanbaby aged 4 aged 4

This is a timeless book that can be used from babies through to even now with my 4 year old, a great story about a little caterpillar and it's journey into a beautiful butterfly and the food it eats along the way, great illustrations and little holes showing where the caterpillar has eaten through something, great for little fingers, a really lovely book and highly recommended.

modzy78 Adult 62 book reviews

31st January '18

I read it to dani aged 5 aged 5

This is one of our favorite books of all time. It is a pleasant story that babies enjoy following, and it teaches so much that it keeps the interest of older children. The caterpillar eats through a growing number of foods throughout the week (with Saturday's excess being funny) until it builds a cocoon and emerges as a butterfly. Along the way, it covers food names, numbers, and the days of the week, along with teaching about the life cycle of the caterpillar. And the classic illustrations add to the character of the book. I'm thinking of having my 5 year old try to read it herself, but she has most of it memorized! We've also picked up copies of the book in other languages. The classic story translates well and is a great way to introduce vocabulary in any language. It's a book every family should own at least one copy of.

Clairelinda Adult 33 book reviews

1st October '18

I read it to Work aged 3 to 7

A beautiful story that demonstrates the lifecycle of a butterfly. The story encourages counting, colour finding etc. lots of activities can be created from the book. A classic for everyone's bookshelf.

Lynsayhouston Adult 23 book reviews

20th March '17

I read it to Lucielocket aged 4 aged 4 & to Mollie aged 2 aged 2

Amazing book. My girls loved it. Can still remember the words of the book.

Monkeymadness Adult 6 book reviews

17th January '18

I read it to Oaksa aged 4 aged 4

A lovely book.
It also great for counting and colours
great for preschool children.

Cjwnyc Adult 37 book reviews

13th March '17

I read it to LandonB aged 6 aged 6 & to CarterB aged 3 aged 3

There are very few books that have have read to my children that have lived up to the status of classic but this book most certainly does. The vivid art work grabbed both my children and stayed with them through learning colours, fruits, numbers and days of the week. Still now it soothes the boys to hear it during a restless night or a day of sickness. I now know the book off by heart and still read it when looking after my very young nephew.

HarpsKT Adult 91 book reviews

7th April '17

I read it to ArjanST aged 5 aged 5 & to KeeratKT aged 2 aged 2

A beautiful book from my childhood which I can now share with my children. I used to love the story of the caterpillar who ate his way through all different kinds of food, most of which were my favourite, and how he turned into a beautiful butterfly in the end. Now, my children love it too!

gayleymoo-glasgow Adult 337 book reviews

26th April '17

I read it to Matthew aged 4 aged 4 & to Sophiajane aged 3 months aged 0

This is a book that we revisit time and time again. It is great for recognising the different types of food from cakes to plums. We love it when the very hungry caterpillar, who has a sore tummy by then, makes his cocoon and turns into a beautiful butterfly. This is a real timeless classic

Abbylovescakes Adult 83 book reviews

3rd September '17

I read it to ElijahG aged 4 aged 4 & to MarthaG aged 1 aged 1

Such a classic book! My 1 yr old loves reading it and my 4 yr old still gets someone out of it. It has stood the test of time so so well, and is such an important book to have in your kids collection.

sogwigan Adult 1 book review

10th November '14

Read to children aged 4 & 6

Loved the illustration and how easy it is for children to read along

TCR75 Adult 335 book reviews

24th February '17

I read it to CCR06 aged 10 aged 10 , to LCR08 aged 8 aged 8 & to GCR13 aged 4 aged 4

I have yet to meet a child who hasn't enjoyed this book! I love that I get to re-read it over and again with my children.
Georgie loves watching the caterpillar grow and naming all of the fruits and foods. She loves all of the colours and counting as well. There are so many learning opportunities in this book: colour, numbers, size, days of the week, life cycles, foods....the list is endless.
I don't think I will ever tire of reading it!

Nicki.Hogan Adult 305 book reviews

8th November '16

I read it to RCHogan aged 2 aged 2 & to AIHogan aged 1 aged 1

A timeless classic that follows a caterpillar (and his empty belly) on his journey to becoming a butterfly.
The illustrations have captivated both my children from a very early age. The story itself is calm and charming and introduces several concepts, such as food and days of the week, alongside being a sweet stand-alone tale.
The holes through each piece of food gives the book a tactile element which my children always engage with! I think it helps them to understand the premise of the caterpillar eating. Maybe!
Beautiful book, lovely story - a must-read for all children. It's as suitable for one-year olds and it is 3-year olds; I think different ages can just take different things from it.

mrs-c-bury Adult 13 book reviews

29th March '15

Read to a child aged 1

This book is a classic! The short text and colourful pictures make this a great read for younger children. My little boy loved pointing to and naming the fruits the caterpillar ate. The little book of love was just lovely! It carries a great message and I meant every word I read to my little man!

Sameena Adult 40 book reviews

24th October '18

I read it to Ayaan1 aged 2 aged 2

This is a really nice book with a good storyline. The pictures and colours were really lovely to look at.

Samanna Adult 53 book reviews

7th September '18

I read it to Samanna1 aged 3 aged 3

This is a lovely simple classic book. My daughter enjoyed hearing about all the food the caterpillar ate before turning into a cocoon. It’s good as a starter book for reading too as not a lot of words.

Samanna Adult 53 book reviews

7th September '18

I read it to Samanna1 aged 3 aged 3

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About Eric Carle

Eric Carle Biography
Eric Carle is the acclaimed and beloved illustrator of many children’s picture books, most notably the The Very Hungry Caterpillar which has been translated into 62 languages and has sold more than 46 million copies. Since it was first published in 1969, E...

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BOOKS BY Eric Carle

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The Very Hungry Caterpillar