The Very Hungry Caterpillar is a 1969 children's picture book designed, illustrated, and written by American children's author and illustrator Eric Carle. The plot follows a very hungry caterpillar that eats a variety of foods before pupating and emerging as a butterfly. It incorporates elements that contribute to juvenile education, such as counting, the days of the week, food, and a butterfly’s life cycle.
Since the book’s publication, it has sold more than 50 million copies, been translated into more than 60 languages, won various awards, and has been adapted for television.[1] It has been lauded as "one of the greatest childhood classics of all time,"[2] and has received praise for its iconic art style, featuring collage artwork and holes in the pages where the caterpillar "ate" through.[1]
Synopsis
On an early Sunday morning, "a tiny and very hungry caterpillar" hatches from his egg and searches for something to eat. For the following five days, Monday through Friday, the very hungry caterpillar eats through an increasing quantity of fruit: one apple on Monday, two pears on Tuesday, three plums on Wednesday, four strawberries on Thursday, and five oranges on Friday. Each day, however, the caterpillar is still hungry. On Saturday, he feasts on: one piece of chocolate cake, an ice-cream cone, a pickle, one slice of Swiss cheese, a slice of salami, a lollipop, a piece of cherry pie, a sausage, a cupcake and a slice of watermelon. Later that night, he gets a stomach ache.
The following Sunday, the very hungry caterpillar eats a green leaf. Now "big and fat", he builds a cocoon around himself and stays inside of it for more than two weeks. After, he nibbles a hole and pushes his way out, emerging as a large, multi-colored butterfly.
Development
The Very Hungry Caterpillar is Carle's third book.
The plot originated as a story called A Week with Willi the Worm, which featured a bookworm named Willi. Carle was inspired to write the story after using a hole punch that made him think of a worm.[3] Ann Beneduce, Carle's editor, advised him that a green worm would not make a likable protagonist, instead recommending a caterpillar.[4][5]
Carle was allegedly inspired to have holes in the pages where the caterpillar had "eaten" through the various foods, by differently shaped books he had read as a child in Germany.[4]
Publication
The book was originally published by the World Publishing Company (US) in 1969. It was originally printed in Japan due to high US publishing costs resulting from the holes in some of the pages.[4] The book is currently published by Penguin Random House,[6] who bought the title from Carle in 2019.[7]
Since its publication, The Very Hungry Caterpillar has sold over 50 million copies, or roughly one copy every thirty seconds.[1]
The book has been translated into more than 60 languages,[1] including Arabic,[8] Dutch, French,[9] Spanish,[10] German,[11] Japanese,[12] Italian,[13] Portuguese, Swedish,[14] Russian,[15] and Hebrew.[16]
Reception
Awards
The book has won numerous awards including the American Institute of Graphic Arts Award in 1970, the Best Children's Books of England in 1970, the Selection du Grand Prix des Treize in France in 1972, and the Nakamori Reader's Prize in Japan in 1975.[17]The New York Times also cited it as one of the "Ten Best Picture Books of the Year" in 1969.[18]
Furthermore, the book placed at number 199 in the Big Read, a 2003 poll conducted by the BBC to determine the United Kingdom's best loved books. It was one of the few picture books to place on the list.[19] Based on a 2007 online poll, the National Education Association listed the book as one of its "Teachers' Top 100 Books for Children".[20] Five years later, School Library Journal survey of readers named The Very Hungry Caterpillar as the second-best children's book.[4]
In 2020, The Very Hungry Caterpillar was number ten on the list of "Top Check Outs of All Time" by the New York Public Library.[21] It also won the best children's classic accolade at the Sainsbury Children’s Book Awards in 2019.[22] Carle said that this award was a "perfect way" to celebrate the book's 50th anniversary.[22]
Endorsements
The Very Hungry Caterpillar introduces Lepidoptera life stage concepts depicting metamorphosis from a ‘hungry caterpillar’ to a ‘beautiful butterfly'; the Royal Entomological Society endorsed the book due to the scientific accuracy of this transformation.[citation needed]
Criticism
In 2021, researchers from Edith Cowan University in Western Australia criticized a number of books, including The Very Hungry Caterpillar, for not being culturally diverse, and finding that teachers were over-relying on classic titles which reflected dominant culture and outdated viewpoints and lifestyles.[23][24] In an article for the Australian Journal of Teacher Education, the researchers expressed concern about classic books which only contained animal characters, finding that animal stories decrease the likelihood of children from minority backgrounds seeing characters representative of themselves.[23][25] They recommended classic titles be placed alongside more contemporary texts which better represent a more modern culturally-diverse society.[23][26] The findings were criticized by media commentators such as Kel Richards and Erin Molan.[27][28]
Educational usage and influence
This book includes educational themes such as counting, the days of the week, foods, and a butterfly's life stages. However, the book does not appear as didactic; rather, it presents information discreetly without children realizing it.[1] It has been used by elementary school teachers, librarians, and parents as a teaching aid, with activities developed that incorporate the book.[29][30] Furthermore, the pictures allow for understanding without reading.[31]
Predictability
The book contains "familiar sequences" or patterns when referencing days of the week and numbers.[32] These patterns help young readers read naturally and can reflect their own knowledge of the world.[32] The patterns can encourage word recognition strategies while reading, rather than beforehand.[32]
The book's predictability also allows for Oral Cloze exercises, exercises where an adult reader can omit a day of the week or number and the child can insert it.[33] These exercises help children gain confidence in predicting language and enforcing pre-existing knowledge.[33]
Common Core
New elementary Common Core standards emphasize more informational texts in primary education; books like The Very Hungry Caterpillar mend the divide between informational texts and elementary engagement.[34] The book is captivating for young learners, while also providing lessons on counting, days of the week, and metamorphosis.[34]
Storytelling/classroom activities
The Very Hungry Caterpillar's format allows for expansion into a classroom activity.[31] Children can engage in creative practice and storytelling by inserting their own foods and drawings into each day of the week.[31] Using the book's format, children can incorporate their own interests; thus, they are telling their own stories.[31] Sharing their renditions with peers, students again engage with storytelling.[31]
Secondary school usage
The Very Hungry Caterpillar has met Beowulf in secondary classrooms in an effort to prompt academic and sophisticated discussion of picture books.[35] Main reasons for integration include the universal themes of picture books and providing visual aids for comprehension.[35]The Very Hungry Caterpillar has themes that extend past young children and its integration with Beowulf can help engage secondary aged students.[35]
Healthy eating
This book has been used in the fight against childhood obesity. The American Academy of Pediatrics, the CDC, philanthropic groups, and anti-obesity campaigns utilize this book to teach children about healthy eating.[36] In 2011, the American Academy of Pediatrics sent out special copies of the book, with associated learning tools, to health providers, for a campaign to healthy eating in the U.S.[37] Carle supports the usage of his book to promote healthy eating.[citation needed]
Cultural influence
This book was used by former first lady Barbara Bush as part of her campaign to promote literacy.[38] In 1999, the pizza restaurant Pizza Hut asked 50 U.S. governors to name their favorite books from childhood. The then-governor of Texas, George W. Bush, named The Very Hungry Caterpillar, despite having been 23 years old at the time of its publication.[2]
In 2009, Google celebrated the book's 40th anniversary by rendering the logo on its main search page in the style used in the book.[3][39]
UK/US releases
VHS
The Very Hungry Caterpillar was adapted for UK television on September 1, 1993. Then on October 17, 1994, it was released as a VHS video distributed by PolyGram Video. It was re-released on June 16, 1997, distributed by Channel 5 Video, a sub-label of PolyGram. On March 18, 2002, it was re-released again by Universal Pictures as part of an anthology called The World of Eric Carle that included The Very Hungry Caterpillar along with four other Eric Carle stories.[citation needed]
This anthology utilized a classical music–influenced soundtrack by Wallace & Gromit composer Julian Nott. Narration on the UK releases were performed by Roger McGough and Juliet Stevenson; this version was briefly released in the US by Scholastic.[40] Then on August 5, 1995 Disney released a US dub version with narration by Brian Cummings and Linda Gary.[41] After Disney's adaptation, the film and TV rights were sold for £1 million.[42]
DVD
The Very Hungry Caterpillar was released on DVD on April 24, 2006, as a part of an anthology called The World of Eric Carle; it was presented by the Illuminated Film Company and broadcast by Ventura Distribution.
The anthology, including The Very Hungry Caterpillar and four other stories, was also released on DVD in the US by Disney and in the AU by ABC DVD.[43] The DVD was also adapted into a 10-track CD, titled The Very Hungry Caterpillar and Other Stories.[citation needed]
Ancillary products
There have been multiple unique book editions,[44] with personalized features. Games, pop-up books,[44] a book/card game combination via University Games,[45] and an educational video game- The Very Hungry Caterpillar's ABCs – released by CYBIRD Co. Ltd. for WiiWare in 2010.[46]
Inaccuracies
In the story, the caterpillar builds a cocoon, and a butterfly emerges. In reality, a caterpillar that makes a cocoon emerges as a moth, while a butterfly will emerge from a chrysalis; various media sources have highlighted this inaccuracy.[47]
"And here's my unscientific explanation: My caterpillar is very unusual. As you know caterpillars don't eat lollipops and ice cream, so you won't find my caterpillar in any field guides. But also, when I was a small boy, my father would say, "Eric, come out of your cocoon." He meant I should open up and be receptive to the world around me. For me, it would not sound right to say, "Come out of your chrysalis." And so poetry won over science!"[48]
^The librarian's complete guide to involving parents through children's literature, Anthony D. Fredericks, Libraries Unlimited, 1997. ISBN1-56308-538-0 p. 93.
^Teaching Terrific Fours, Annal Jones, Carol Crownover, Elizabeth Jones. Humanism Learning, 2006. Parameter error in ((ISBN)): Missing ISBN. p. 92.
^ abcdeRoney, R. C. "Back to the Basics with Storytelling." The Reading Teacher 42.7 (1989): 520-3. JSTOR. Web.
^ abcRhodes, Lynn K. "I can Read! Predictable Books as Resources for Reading and Writing Instruction." The Reading Teacher 34.5 (1981): 511-8. JSTOR. Web.
^ abWiseman, Donna L. "Helping Children Take Early Steps Toward Reading and Writing." The Reading Teacher 37.4 (1984): 340-4. JSTOR. Web.
^ abNeuman, Susan B., and Roskos, Kathleen. "Helping Children Become More Knowledgeable through Text." The Reading Teacher 66.3 (2012): 207-10. JSTOR. Web.
^ abcNeal, Judith C., and Moore, Kay. ""The Very Hungry Caterpillar" Meets "Beowulf" in Secondary Classrooms." Journal of Reading 35.4 (1991): 290-6. JSTOR. Web.
^"Groups Hope "Hungry Caterpillar" Helps Fight Fat". Washington Times. Associated Press. March 8, 2011. Retrieved March 30, 2011.
^Tate, Mikayla (June 10, 2019). "PSCD Summer Reading: The Very Hungry Caterpillar". Provo City School District. Retrieved July 24, 2020. The Very Hungry Caterpillar has been translated into 40 different languages and was also used by Barbara Bush as part of her literacy campaign.
