Story time is the best time of the day. Whether we're snuggled up on the couch or cozy in our pjs before bed, reading stories with my little ones is one of my favorite things to do. Everyone has a favorite book they remember from their childhood, and every day, parents and kids are discovering new classics of their own. There are many fabulous children's books out there, some of which everyone knows about and others we would have never discovered had my son not simply pulled a random book off a library shelf. I created this blog to share some of these wonderful stories with you. Think of it as a year's worth of the best children's books around, since no day should be without a great story. In the end, I hope we'll all have discovered at least a few new titles that will have made their way onto our list of family favorites. Enjoy!







Thursday, June 23, 2011

Day 72: The Very Hungry Caterpillar

Of all of Eric Carle's fabulous titles, this one might be the most famous of all.  What child doesn't absolutely adore the story of the hungry little caterpillar who eats his way through the days of the week?  This story has just about everything you could ask for in a children's book.  It's educational (we learn about the metamorphosis from egg to caterpillar to butterfly, the days of the week, and even that eating too much junk food gives you a stomach ache!), is fun, tactile and interactive (with little holes chewed through each piece of food, just perfect for little fingers), and is full of simple, bold, colorful illustrations.  My son can't wait to turn each page to see what the caterpillar eats the next day, anxiously awaiting Saturday and its glorious selection of treats.  My daughter loves staring at the bright pictures and is always sticking her fingers into the little holes.  I also love that the book is conducive to so many other creative activities, from food and science to arts and crafts.  We had to make a caterpillar fruit plate for dessert tonight to ward off the requests for "chocolate cake, an ice cream cone, a lollipop, a slice of salami, and a cupcake!" Carle is a master of engaging little minds and readers of all ages, and The Very Hungry Caterpillar is definitely one of our favorites.  Oh, and if you do not yet own the book and are interesting in buying it, we highly recommend the lap board book edition.  In my opinion, it is much better than the smaller board book version and makes reading a fantastic book even more fun.  Enjoy!

2 comments:

Eric VanRaepenbusch said...

Love Your blog!

My youngest son's favorite Eric Carle book right now is Have You Seen My Cat? We made our own book with Eric Carle Style illustrations to celebrate Eric Carle's Birthday. Hope you can come check it out:

http://www.happybirthdayauthor.com/2011/06/happy-birthday-eric-carle-june-25.html

Lauren said...

Hi Eric! Thank you so much for stopping by and sharing your son's favorite book. We haven't read that one yet -- we'll have to look for it the next time we're at the library. I'm so happy you're enjoying our blog. What a great idea for your blog, as well! I'm your newest follower -- and will be sure to refer to your site to find the birthdays of other authors we love. I'm sad to see that we just missed Cynthia Rylant (she is one of our favorites at the moment!) and Maurice Sendak. Maybe next year :) Thanks again for visiting!

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