The Very Hungry Caterpillar

The Very Hungry Caterpillar is a children's book written by Eric Carle, first published by the World Publishing Company in 1969. The winner of many awards, it has sold 30 million copies and reportedly a copy of the book is sold every 30 seconds somewhere in the world. It is highly popular and has been praised for its use of easy-to-read words which makes it good for teaching young children to read. The book contains 225 words and large, colourful illustrations. It follows a caterpillar as it eats its way through a wide variety of foodstuffs before he finally pupates and emerges as a beautiful butterfly. The story teaches counting to five, the names of the days of the week, and about different types of food. The caterpillar's diet is a fictional fantasy but the story does introduce the concept of the metamorphosis from egg to caterpillar to butterfly. It has been described as "one of the greatest childhood classics of all time."