Display Search Bar

5 Minutes for Mom

Main navigation

Still Hungry, 45 Years of the Very Hungry Caterpillar #Giveaway

by

This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

VHC-banner

Jennifer D., 5 Minutes for Books editor and 5M4M contributor, here to share some nostalgia and offer a special giveaway. This is part of a sponsored campaign, and I received samples as well, but as always, my opinions are my own.

When my children were toddlers and preschoolers, board books were a staple in our home. I am still inexplicably drawn to them, and they are my go-to gifts for new babies and first birthdays (and 2nd and 3rd for that matter). The sturdiness and smaller size of board books means that they are totally safe for little hands. I always kept some in the car and in their cribs as well as in baskets around the house.

Very Hungry Caterpillar Collage

Eric Carle’s The Very Hungry Caterpillar is one of the handful of books that has special memories for me. Since I am under 45, I remember the book from my own childhood and rushed to share it with my children. It’s one of the books that I buy for brand new moms, and I much prefer the board book version.

I love Eric Carle’s artistic style. I think the bright colors and the textures are so eye-catching, to children and adults. The text is generally repetitious, but in a great way — pleasing and familiar to children and not annoying to the adults reading and re-reading. But my absolutely most favorite part? The actual holes that the caterpillar chews through the things he eats. I can’t resist putting my fingers right on the perfect missing circle, nor could my children.

TheVeryHungryCaterpillar

There are a handful of books that I remember sharing with my children and actively await sharing with my grandchildren. Eric Carle’s books are definitely in that category, so I’m so proud to help celebrate the 45th anniversary of The Very Hungry Caterpillar.

2014 marks the 45th anniversary of Eric Carle’s pre-school classic, The Very Hungry Caterpillar. The anniversary will be officially celebrated on the annual “Very Hungry Caterpillar Day” which takes place every year on the first day of spring (March 20th).

Since its publication in 1969, 36 million copies of the book have sold worldwide and it has been published in 55 languages. That year the book was also named one of the best children’s books of the year by The New York Times, and it has since become a beloved, must-own classic. Today, every 30 seconds, somewhere in the world, a copy of this book is sold.

Eric Carle is acclaimed and beloved as the creator of brilliantly illustrated and innovatively designed picture books for very young children. He has illustrated more than seventy books, many best sellers, and more than 100 million copies of his books have sold around the world. In 2002, Eric and his wife Barbara opened The Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art in Amherst, MA, a 40,000 square foot space dedicated to inspiring a love of art among children by introducing them to picture book art by renowned artists from around the world.

Enter to win

I am happy to be able to offer a very special 45th anniversary edition of the book which comes with a CD of the story read by Eric Carle himself! You will also receive a limited edition tote.

Very Hungry Caterpillar Tote

Follow the instructions in the widget to enter. Start off by leaving a comment telling me your favorite Eric Carle book.

Get Social

 

Reader Interactions


Leave a Comment

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

139 Comments

  1. Definitely Brown Bear! My preschoolers love this book so much. They can read it themselves now. We just made our own version of Brown Bear into a class book. They love looking at their own page.
    This is a wonderful prize pack!

    Reply

  5. Next to the very hungry caterpillar my favorite Eric Carle book is Brown Bear, Brown bear what do you see? The kids love his books and I like the bright colors and rhymes.

    Reply

  9. our favorite is The Very Hungry Caterpillar because we love it and it’s a classic. i am tony l smoaks on rafflecopter.

    Reply

  23. My favorite Eric Carle book is The Very Busy Spider, but I also love The Very Hungry Caterpillar. Thank you for the giveaway!

    Reply

  54. Very Hungry Caterpillar is my favorite. Both of my boys loved it and I read it daily for years, with silly sound effects and lots of giggling.

    Reply

  70. We read The Very Hungry Caterpillar every night when my son was a baby..he would join in at the end of each page with “still hungry” It was one of his absolute favorite books!

    Reply

  80. I love all of his books! As it is hard to pick just one! Brown Bear, Brown Bear is a book my son loved and it helped him to notice what is around him and what he sees! I love the Hungry Caterpillar and all the fun activities we have done to go along with it! Being an artist I love all the colors in his books and so do my kids! It is so hard to pick just one book when they are all so wonderful and have taught us all so much!! :o)

    Reply

  87. I’ve been collection Eric Carle books for my daughter since she was little, giving them to her at Christmas and on birthdays. She’s 21 now and I’m still on the lookout for new books or older ones I’ve missed. I don’t think I can choose a favorite, but The Art of Eric Carle is a great look at the artist and his wonderful art work!

    Reply

  90. 1, 2, 3 to the Zoo is my favorite Eric Carl book, other than the Hungry Caterpillar, of course. My favorite will ALWAYS be the Hungry Caterpillar.

    Reply

  113. The Very Hungry Caterpillar is such a fantastic children’s book – it’s one of the most memorable for me. I can’t believe it’s been 45 years!

    I can only hope to have this kind of acclaim someday – I’ve recently created a new series of travel books for kids to teach them about different countries and cultures – check them out at http://www.my-first-trip.com if you’re interested. Thanks!

    Reply

  120. I absolutely love Eric Carle and grew up with THE VERY HUNGRY CATERPILLAR as a regular on my nightstand. I love the illustrations most of all! Reading it always makes me hungry…

    Reply

  121. I think we own nearly all of his books, but The Very Hungry Caterpillar continues to be a favourite both for students and for my own children.

    Reply

  125. My favourite is The Very Hungry Caterpillar for sure! My sons are 15 YEARS apart and my first son loved it and so does my 2.5 year old! It is timeless.

    Reply