Review by Judy Braithwaite
The very hungry caterpillar is a "must have" book in every home library.
At a basic level, the story is about the life-cycle of a butterfly, written and illustrated in such a way that even very young children are able to understand and learn the cycle from egg, to caterpillar, to cocoon, to butterfly.
The caterpillar stage is told in great detail, and includes a sequence of days of the week, and a sequence of counting from 1 to 5 as the caterpillar eats his way through a variety of fruit. Understanding sequence is a basis for many mathematical concepts.
The pages are cut away at this point, so that each fruit can be seen, and there are little holes (just perfect for wee fingers) to represent the caterpillar eating through.
The caterpillars appetite is enormous, and he also eats through a variety of foods that may be familiar to children, giving an opportunity to discuss healthy food, and treat food (and the consequences of over indulging)
Of course, the much anticipated grand finale is the emergence of 'a beautiful butterfly'
The illustrations are colourful collage-style pictures, and as the book is available in board, soft cover and hard cover versions, it can be shared with even the youngest children.