Living Unabridged

Eric Carle's art is colorfully gorgeous and his books, based on familiar (or unfamiliar) creatures, make great bases for quick unit studies"

The Very Hungry Caterpillar reigns supreme as our family favorite. We've gone through multiple copies due to the "love" this book receives from our little ones!

When our third daughter was little, she didn't speak early or well. I decided she was being neglected, book wise, and started reading this book to her every day. (Other books too, of course, but only this one every day.)

One day as I read, she said, "Pop!" at just the right time in the story. That was quite a happy moment.

From then on, we haven't been able to get to her to stop talking. (OK, I'm just kidding there. But I definitely can mark the day when her speech started to improve.)

Other favorites by Carle:

 "Hey you, want to fight?"
The predictability of this story makes it a favorite for our youngest family members. "The spider didn't answer," is a phrase they enjoy "reading" themselves.
 This one lights up!
Sadly, the "clicker" on this book is the first thing to wear out.

More information about Carle or his work:

• The Official Eric Carle site
• Eric Carle Author Study from Scholastic
• Unit studies from Homeschool Share: The Very Hungry Caterpillar, The Very Busy Spider, The Very Lonely Firefly, The Grouchy Ladybug, Insect Unit.
• Printable coloring pages from Gymboree

Do you have a favorite book by Eric Carle?

Resources for Readers: