The Very Hungry Caterpillar

One of the greatest children’s classics of all time, The Very Hungry Caterpillar pictographically describes the evolution of caterpillar eating his way through an array of food to eventually pupate into a beautiful butterfly. According to Amazon, a copy of this children’s book is sold every 30 seconds somewhere in the world. Educating children about days of the week, types of foods, and the lifecycle of a butterfly, Carle’s book has also been endorsed by the Royal Etymological Society.

The Very Hungry Caterpillar is a children's picture book designed, illustrated, and written by Eric Carle, first published by the World Publishing Company in 1969, later published by Penguin Putnam. The book features a very hungry caterpillar who eats his way through a wide variety of foodstuffs before pupating and emerging as a butterfly. The winner of many children's literature awards and a major graphic design award, it has sold almost 50 million copies worldwide.