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The Very Hungry Caterpillar Story For Kids

The Very Hungry Caterpillar is a children’s book which has gained popularity among all kids of all ages. It is a fun bedtime story for babies and toddlers and has educational value for pre-schoolers too.

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The Very Hungry Caterpillar story is designed, illustrated and written by Eric Carle. Immensely popular for its collage artwork and unique design, the original book is a bestseller. The book features holes in the pages, representing the bites that the caterpillar took out of each food item. The full story of the Very Hungry Caterpillar is very interesting and catchy for children. 

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Origin And History Of The Very Hungry Caterpillar Story 

Interestingly, it is believed that Eric Carle was inspired for this idea while punching some holes on some document papers. Eric came up with a Bookwork character based on this. And later, he related this to a caterpillar. He immediately thought of the complete book idea with differently cut-out pages like some books he had read in his childhood. 

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The book was published by the World Publishing Company in the year 1969. Later, Penguin Random House became the book’s publisher. The book has been translated more than 60 languages speaking of its worldwide popularity.  

Story Type Of The Very Hungry Caterpillar

The Very Hungry Caterpillar is a children’s picture book. The book also serves as an early learning resource, as it talks about the life cycle of a caterpillar.  

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Characters Of The Story 

The story has just one character, a caterpillar, who goes through various stages of life cycle in different forms, starting from an egg to a caterpillar to a cocoon to a butterfly.

The Very Hungry Caterpillar Full Story 

In the light of the moon a little egg lay on a leaf.  

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One Sunday morning the warm sun came up… and POP, out of the egg came a tiny, very hungry caterpillar.  

He started looking for some food.  

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On Monday he ate through one apple. But he was still hungry.  

On Tuesday he ate through two pears, but he was still hungry.  

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On Wednesday he ate through three plums, but he was still hungry.  

On Thursday he ate through four strawberries, but he was still hungry.  

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On Friday he ate through five oranges, but he was still hungry.  

On Saturday he ate through one piece of chocolate cake, one ice-cream cone, one pickle, one slice of Swiss cheese, one slice of salami, one lollipop, one piece of cherry pie, one sausage, one cupcake, and one slice of watermelon. That night he had a stomach ache!  

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The next day was Sunday again. The caterpillar ate through one nice leaf, and after that he felt better. Now he wasn’t hungry anymore–and he wasn’t a little caterpillar anymore. He was a big fat caterpillar.

He built a small house, called a cocoon, around himself. He stayed inside for more than two weeks. Then he nibbled a hole in the cocoon, pushed his way out and…  

He became a beautiful butterfly! 

The Very Hungry Caterpillar Story for Children

Summary Of The Very Hungry Caterpillar Story 

This is the story of a caterpillar who hatches out of an egg. He is very hungry as soon as he is born, so he starts eating through various foods every day of the week. In the pursuit to satiate his appetite, he makes some unfortunate choices of junk food and overeating, which causes him to feel over-inflated. So he eats a light meal one day and feels better. By then, he had started growing up. The next stage for him was to build himself a cocoon and emerge as a beautiful butterfly! 

What Can Your Child Learn From The Very Hungry Caterpillar? 

This little book for small kids has a lot to teach. It introduces toddlers to various yummy foods and teaches them the concept of feeling very hungry. As children grow, they start noticing patterns in the number of items consumed by the caterpillar per day, such as one on the first day (Monday) and two the next day and so on. It also gets kids to remember the names of the days of the week. The biggest educational lesson kids learn through this short story is the life cycle of a caterpillar and how it transforms into a butterfly.

How Can Children Apply The Lessons Of The Story In Their Life? 

Once children understand the story of the Very Hungry Caterpillar, they will observe the eating habits of the caterpillar. Overeating and indulging in too much unhealthy food gave the caterpillar a stomach ache. Children will learn the importance of avoiding junk food and can make better food choices when they, too, are hungry. So read The Very Hungry Caterpillar story with pictures to your child and let them observe this important lesson.

Also Read:

A Wise Parrot Story for Children with Moral
Moral Story of The Musical Donkey for Kids
The Story Of The Deceitful Bird with Moral for Children

Shraddha Mishra
Shraddha Mishra
Writer, journalist and content creator, she has worked across several publications. She takes a keen interest in travel, food and culture. A new mother, she loves talking about her parenting journey and watching her toddler play, learn and grow. When not working, you will find her watching a movie or web series, or reading a novel, chasing a good story everywhere.
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