The Very Hungry Caterpillar

The Very Hungry Caterpillar is a 1969 children's picture book designed, illustrated, and written by American children's author and illustrator Eric Carle. The plot follows a very hungry caterpillar that eats a variety of foods before pupating and emerging as a butterfly, and incorporates elements that contribute to juvenile education, such as counting, the days of the week, food, and a butterfly’s life cycle. Since its publication it has sold more than 50 million copies, been translated into more than 60 languages, won various awards, and been adapted for television. It has been lauded as "one of the greatest childhood classics of all time," and has won praise for its iconic art style, featuring collage artwork and holes in the pages where the caterpillar "ate" through, that was innovative for its time.