The Very Hungry Caterpillar

The Very Hungry Caterpillar
Written and Illustrated by: Eric Carle
Published by: Philomel Books 1987
Grades: K-2
Genre: Picture Book, Classic, Math

Synopsis: This story tells about the transformation of a very hungry caterpillar into a beautiful butterfly.  The caterpillar eats his way through numerous foods in large amounts including, candy, pie, apples, pears, cupcakes, etc. until he becomes full at last.  He then forms a cocoon around himself and falls asleep until he one day breaks through as a butterfly. 

Theme/Skill: Counting and Numbers, Life Cycles, Caterpillars, Butterflies, Story Sequencing.

About the Author: Eric Carle

Eric was born in 1929 in Syracuse, New York.  When he was six, he moved to Germany with his family where he became educated and graduated from Akademie der bildenden Kunste, a prestigious art school.  In 1952, he returned to America with his portfolio and settled in New York.  He found a job as a graphic designer for the New York Times.  He was asked one day by Bill Martin, Jr. to illustrate a book he had written.  As a result was the publication of the book, Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?  This started Carle’s career as an illustrator.  His most famous work is the Very Hungry Caterpillar published in 1969.  Since then he has illustrated more than seventy books.  Today Carle, has two grown children and divides his time with his wife in the Florida Keys and North Carolina. 

Source used: http://www.eric-carle.com/bio.html

Pre-Reading Activities:  Bring in a few caterpillars for the children to look at.  Ask questions such as: What is one thing you noticed about the caterpillars?  Where do you think you find caterpillars? What do caterpillars turn into?  On the board, go through the different stages of a caterpillar turning into a butterfly.  Have a different student come up to the board to write out each different stage.  

Post-Reading Activities:  Group the students by having them count off by threes.  Have each group make either a caterpillar, cocoon, or butterfly.  The finished products will be hung from the ceiling as the class maps out the different stages of development.  Also keep the live caterpillars in the classroom to observe each day to watch it change and chart how long it stays in each stage. 

Lesson Ideas: http://www.dltk-teach.com/books/hungrycaterpillar/index.htm

Reflection:  I remember reading this book while I was little.  Now that I have read it to my preschool children, it seems to never get old with whichever generation reads it.  Both the preschool children and myself love the vibrant and colorful illustrations that fill each page.  Having a white background with large images that pop out of the pages draws your eye onto each page.  I love how there are holes through the food to show that a caterpillar has eaten through it.  The concept of the book is so simple yet helps children see how a caterpillar changes and helps them learn how to count the number of objects plus learn the days of the week.  Spectacular!

Oh, The Places You'll Go!

Oh, the Places You’ll Go!
Written and Illustrated by: Dr. Seuss
Published by: Random House 1990
Grades: 2-6
Genre:  Poetry, Comedy, Classic

Synopsis: This is a poetry book that gives us a look at good fortunes and bad fortunes.  All of these fortunes could hit you in life in both a realistic and a fantasy sense.  The main character faces many challenges throughout it whether it be good or bad such as the grinning purple elephants, floating golden castles, or the deep blue wells of confusion.  The message he delivers is that life may be a “Great Balancing Act” but through it all “There’s fun to be done.”

Theme/Skill: Proceeding in life, Weather Fear, Loneliness, Confusion, Pride, Self-Esteem, Changes, New Experiences, Growing Up, and being in charge of your actions. It uses rhyming throughout the story.

About the Author and Illustrator: Dr. Seuss

Geisel was born in 1904 in Springfield, Massachusetts.  Theodor Seuss Geisel was known by many as his alias name, Dr. Seuss.  He came across this name his senior year at Dartmouth College when he was caught drinking gin in his room with his friends.  He was put on probation by the dean and no longer able to publish cartoons in the college’s magazine, Jack-O-Lantern.  To continue this, he began publishing cartoons under aliases.  When he became a magazine cartoonist he signed his work as Dr. Seuss.  After graduating from Dartmouth, Geisel studied literature at Oxford from 1925 to 1926.  He met his wife Helen Palmer there, and realized his real passion was drawing.  He went on to create ads for Flit and others including Holly Sugar, Ford, and General Electric.  The first book he wrote was And to Think That I Saw It on Mulberry Street in 1937.  He also wrote The Cat in the Hat, The 500 hats of Bartholomew Cubbins, Horton Hatches the Egg, Horton Hears a Who, and Green Eggs and Ham, among many others.    He married his second wife in 1968, Audrey Stone, after his first wife died.  Many of his books were influenced by her and his other encounters.  Seuss died on September 24, 1991 but continues to be an influence in children’s literature today.    

Source used: http://www.seussville.com/#/author

Pre-Reading Activities: Bring in two items, a good item and a bad item and place them behind two fake, poster board doors.  Have the students choose whether they want the item behind door #1 or door #2.  Ask why did you pick the door that you did?  Was it a guess or a good decision?  Talk about the difference between educated guesses, guesses in general, and good decisions. 

Post-Reading Activities:  Give each student a different scenario by having them pick which hand they want (this is a guess).  Give different scenarios such as a math problem where they can make an educated guess, a hard question where they need to guess, or a situation between people that will incorporate a good decision.  Have the students write down what method they used and why they decided on that method.  Have them each take turns sharing with the class. 

For more activities visit: http://seussville.com

Reflection:  I think all of Dr. Seuss' books are classics if you ask any individual about them.  His books use such imagination along with appeal to children through his rhyming schema and rhythm of words.  Also his appeal through his characters, the colors he uses, and the background on the pages draw children into reading.  I think this book in particular relates to children who are graduating, changing schools, or in general just developing and experiencing life.  It helps children understand that there will be good times and bad times, but through it all your life can be fun no matter what you do.  Dr. Seuss is such an inspiration that each teacher should use at least one of his books throughout their teaching career.