BeeCharmer's Full Review: Eric Carle - The Very Hungry Caterpillar Giant Boa...
The Very Hungry Caterpillar tells of a seemingly insatiable caterpillar and his journey to adulthood through the foods he meets along the way. Eric Carle has done wonders with this one, adding tactile charm to the story by incorporating holes into the food pages "eaten through" by the hungry insect.
Carle also introduces the aspect of time and reinforces number recognition to older children with his use of individual days of the week; each day corresponding to five food items eaten by said caterpillar. Much like Carle’s previous and subsequent offerings, The Very Hungry Caterpillar is composed of simple words easily understood by preschoolers, as well as his signature illustrations, consisting of hand-painted paper collage and die-cut pages.
In the light of the moon a little egg lay on a leaf.
One Sunday morning the warm sun came up and—pop! Out of the egg came a tiny and very hungry caterpillar. He started to look for some food.
On Monday he ate through one apple. But he was still hungry.
On Tuesday he ate through two pears, but he was still hungry.
In typical Carle fashion, the story has repetitive phrasings that children will soon begin to anticipate and recite along with the storyteller. This draws children into the story, allowing them to be active and to enthusiastically participate as the tale unfolds.
When readers first meet this hungry caterpillar, it is but a tiny egg glistening in the light of the moon. Through the insect’s short journey, however, children learn much more than the growth and wonder of a caterpillar’s emergence into a butterfly. They will also learn something of time as it pertains to days of the week, a bit about numbers, and the correlation of certain words to favorite food items. You see, on Saturday, the hungry caterpillar has a feast! And the foods of this day are of particular interest to children so young.
Long story short; at the age of six, the climax of this entertaining tale was one my eldest daughter enjoyed to no end - which made for a tale she enjoyed reading to her two year old sibling often. A visual treat awaits your child too!
The Very Hungry Caterpillar is a delightful tale which incorporates both visual and hands-on stimulation for the youngest child while remaining a learning tool of interest to older children who may currently be learning to read and correlate time and numbers.
Bottomline, this Carle classic is both fun and educational for children; infants on up. On another note, the board version of the book is quite sturdy, a definite must as our little industrious and quizzical family grows.
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