Realistic Fiction/ Picture Book

Title: The Very Hungry Caterpillar

Author: Eric Carle



About the Author: Children learn about the natural world in Eric Carle's original, charming books, which include classics such as The Very Hungry Caterpillar and Papa, Please Get the Moon for Me. Carle's vivid tissue-paper illustrations and innovations in book design have made him an author whose longevity and continued popularity are testaments to his beloved status among young readers and parents.

Age Level: preschool- 8

Synopsis: This story is about a newborn caterpillar. On every page the caterpillar finds something new to eat. As the pages turn, the caterpillar is going through the many stages before it turns into a butterfly. The caterpillar becomes bigger, fatter, and turns into a lovely butterfly.

Pre-Reading Activities: This book presents the lifecycle of a butterfly and caterpillars eat. This is a simple story that emphasizes numbers an days of the week. Eric Carle takes the concept of metamorphosis and presents it in a way that young children can understand. Carle brings humor to the development of the caterpillar, which is one of the first science concepts a child learns. Have you ever seen a caterpillar? Have you ever seen a butterfly? Have you ever caught a caterpillar and kept it to watch it go through the process of turning into a butterfly? Discuss with the class the lifecycle process of a butterfly.

Post-Reading Activities: What was your favorite part of the story? Do caterpillars really eat the things the caterpillar in the book did? What was the name of the small house the caterpillar built around himself? How long did he stay in the cocoon? What happened when he came out of his cocoon? After the reading, the students will begin a class project. There will be caterpillars in the classroom and the class will watch their process of turning into butterflies. They will keep a journal of the process the caterpillars go through. The students will be required to write a description and include drawings. For the younger students, they will have a teacher constructed work sheet. The worksheet will have the lifecycle of the caterpillar to a butterfly and the students will have to label each phase.

My Reflection: I love all of Eric Carle’s books. I especially love the illustrations! This is a great book to teach students about the life cycle of a caterpillar to a butterfly. While it is fiction, I consider this book realistic fiction. Obviously the caterpillar wouldn’t really eat all of the food shown in the book. I think Eric Carle came up with a creative way to show the life cycle and at the same time kept the concept on the level of elementary school aged children.

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