"The Very Hungry Caterpillar" by Eric Carle is a wonderful children's book which is considered to be one of the classics in its genre. With its beautful illustrations and classic, simple story, the book is a favorite in pre-kindergarten, kindergarten, and first grade classes throughout the United States and is also found in many homes.

Why is this book so well received? What makes it a great children's book? Perhaps it is the simple text which makes it easy for teachers and parents to present to little listeners and the fact that the wording is age appropriate allowing little ones to read it on their own when they are ready. I am sure that the subject matter is also a major factor as children and adults alike are fascinated by the transformation of the caterpillar into the butterfly.

For those of you who are unfamiliar with the story, "The Very Hungry Caterpillar" is about the life cycle of a caterpillar and its metamorphosis into a butterfly. The title comes from the fact that the author depicts the caterpillar in its week-long journey to finding enough food to eat in order to grow and sustain itself when inside of its chrysalis and preparing for its transformation into a butterfly. "The Very Hungry Caterpillar" not only teaches about the caterpillar/butterfly life cycle, but also teaches the days of the week and counting from numbers 1 through 6 as the caterpillar eats 1 apple on Monday, 2 pears on Tuesday and etc. until it reaches a combination of 6 food items on Saturday (On Sunday the caterpillar is a week old and is no longer hungry and begins its Chrysalis stage).    

If you have not read "The Very Hungry Caterpillar" to the little ones in your life, I highly recommend that you pick up a copy today at your local library or store and read it with your little one. I am sure they will love the story. I have provided a link to a beautiful video version of the story below--I hope you enjoy it--  I did!

Happy Reading AND For more fun things you can visit me at http://www.funforkids.today.com