The Very Hungry Caterpillar - Eric Carle

No children's book collection is complete without the classic The Very Hungry Caterpillar This book was written 40 years ago by Eric Carle and has been a favourite of many children including myself when I was younger.

The book comes in several different formats, I decided the board book would be the best option as my little boy gets quite excited and likes to help turn the pages; he also enjoys looking at his books alone. I ordered the book from Amazon and at the time of purchase it was £2.99 which is an excellent price the RRP for the book is £5.99 however it can be picked up for a lot less than that. This particular version of the book is recommended for babies from 9 months to 2 years.

The book has nice sturdy white glossy pages with rounded corners, Perfect for eager little hands! The story is very simple and I'm sure there are not many people that don't know this story. It is about the life of a tiny caterpillar, it starts off...

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.

The caterpillar then looks for some food and on each day of the week he eats his way through some fruit and each day he eats more and more. The first page shows a picture of an apple and the page is small just showing the apple with a hole through it where the caterpillar has eaten his way through, the text reads _On Monday he ate through one apple but he was still hungry!_ and then the next day the caterpillar eats through two pears, the page is double the size of the first page and has a picture of two pears with holes through each and the story continues on in the same pattern until we come to Saturday where the caterpillar is still hungry! So he eats his way through all manner of foods starting with one piece of chocolate cake, one ice-cream cone, one pickle and various other foods. My son loves to point to each of the foods as I read them out to him and by the end the caterpillar has a stomach ache, so the next day he eats through one nice green leaf and he feels much better. The story then goes on to tell you that he is no longer a tiny caterpillar or a hungry caterpillar; he is now a big fat caterpillar. My son loves this part of the story as I exaggerate it when I read it to him he smiles with anticipation as I turn the page as he knows what is going to happen. The caterpillar goes inside a cocoon and after two weeks he nibbles his way out and on the final page he turns into a beautiful butterfly. The butterfly is spread over the double page and we flap the book to make it look like he is flying.

My son loves having this book read to him, and not a day goes by without me reading it, or reciting it to him. He will also pick it out from the book pile and will turn the pages whilst pointing to the fruit on each page.

The story is very simple and enjoyable to read, and memorise. It is often told to my son if we are out and about and he is becoming tired and restless as soon as I start reciting the story he will stop fidgeting and sit still and listen attentively.

The story also teaches children about the life cycle of the caterpillar. It can also teach children basic counting as they can count the fruit on each of the pages and they will soon distinguish different fruits and learn the names of them. As well as all this it introduces them to the days of the week, plus it will teach your children that eating far too much is not good for you.

The book is beautifully illustrated throughout with bright pictures that are made up in a collage style look to give them a child like quality that will appeal to young children. The design of the book is unique and appealing to young readers with the pages starting off small and getting bigger to fit more fruit onto each page, each piece of fruit has a hole where the caterpillar has munched its way through. The text is simple and uses key words to help teach children early speech development and word recognition, the use of repetition will also encourage early speech development. It is also good for young readers who are just learning how to read as there isn't too much text on each of the pages, new readers will enjoy joining in as the story is simple.

This particular version of the book is toddler friendly as it has thick pages that are glossy meaning you can wipe it clean or dry it if needed. The book has been read many times and my son has enjoyed looking at the book himself, it has a few teeth marks in it and a few wrinkles where he has bent the pages but this is to be expected with an excited toddler. The book has lasted well and still has plenty of life in it. I am very pleased with it and would happily pay the full price. This book comes in other formats for older children.

A timeless classic that has been going strong for 40 years and will continue to be enjoyed for many years to come by parents and children.

• Board book: 26 pages
• Publisher: Puffin; Miniature Board Ed edition (7 Sep 1995)
• Language English
• ISBN-10: 0241003008
• ISBN-13: 978-0241003008
• Product Dimensions: 17.8 x 12.6 x 1.8 cm