45th Anniversary of The Very Hungry Caterpillar

2014 marks the 45th anniversary of Eric Carle’s 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).

In a simply elegant tale of metamorphosis, Carle’s distinct artwork is colorful and child-centric and combines perfectly with innovative page cuts, familiar concepts (counting, days of the week, food) and natural curiosity of children. It’s no wonder that we are all “still hungry” for this classic, 45 years later!

Since its publication in 1969, 36 million copes 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, somehwere in the world, a copy of The Very Hungry Caterpillar 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  

You can find out more by visiting the Official Site.  You’ll find free activity sheets and all sorts of goodies here so be sure to check it out!

I just love this book and more than thrilled when introducing the story during our life cycles unit.  To ensure my students gain continued practice when the book is checked out of the library, I created an interactive reader!  Grab your freebie copy by linking through the graphic above!

The fun hasn't stopped!  Enter the Rafflecopter giveaway below to win two limited edition anniversary totes and two copies of The Very Hungry Caterpillar board books.  That is one prize for you to keep and one to share with a friend.  Prizes courtesy of Penguin.  Giveaway open to US mailing addresses only!

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