The Very
Hungry
Caterpillar
By: Anju Thomas, Kendra
Alexandre, and Christina
DiBiase
Banned Books
Assignment
Summary
The Very Hungry Caterpillar is a children's
book written by Eric Carle. The book tells a story
about a small caterpillar who eats his way
through many varieties of food. From Monday to
Friday the caterpillar eats several types of fruits.
Then on Saturday he devours his way through
chocolate cake, ice cream, Swiss cheese, a pickle,
salami, cherry pie, a lollipop, sausage, a cupcake,
and a slice of watermelon resulting in a tummy
ache. On Sunday he eats one single leaf which
makes him feel better! In the end the caterpillar
forms his cocoon and emerges into a beautiful
butterfly!
Moral
The Very Hungry Caterpillar is loved for
its creative illustrations and amusing
storyline. When the caterpillar finally
learns from his mistake of overindulging
he grows into a radiant butterfly. The
book teaches us that if the caterpillar can
turn into a butterfly there is hope for all
of us, no matter what we look like.
Banned!
The book was allegedly banned in
Herefordshire, England during a healthy eating
campaign. It was banned because it was
thought to have promoted obesity and
overeating. By eating too much on Saturday,
many thought the book was endorsing
overindulgence. One of the main points of the
story is when the caterpillar eats and feels
sick, takes a break from all that consumption.
He eats one green leaf and he feels better. We
all should take that single leaf!
Our Opinion
In our opinion, The Very Hungry Caterpillar
should not have been banned. The innocent book
is just explaining the life of a caterpillar with an
entertaining twist. The book not only taught
about learning from your mistakes but gave a
head start to children about the days of the week,
multiple types of fruits, and the idea of hope. We
think censorship should be abolished because we
should have the right to exchange ideas freely
without the interference of the government or
censors of any kind. Everyone should be allowed
to read whatever book their hearts desire.
Awards
The Very Hungry Caterpillar sold over thirty
million copies. The book is also reportedly
being sold every thirty seconds somewhere
around the world. It has been translated into
more than thirty different languages, from
Swahili to Catalan. It’s worldwide sales top the
twenty million mark. It also occupies a
constant presence on the UK’s bestseller list.
The Memorable Book
• “It Is one of our most successful books of all
time,” says Francesca Dow.
• “The Very Hungry Caterpillar is one of the
pillars of children’s culture,” says Ted Dewan.
• “It’s almost talking about how great the
Beatles were. It’s beyond reproach,” utters Ted
Dewan.
Work Cited
• Taylor, Kate. "Eat Your Heart out." Www.guardian.com/books. 22
Oct. 2004. Web. 01 Oct. 2010.
<http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2004/oct/22/booksforchildrena
ndteenagers>.
• Rouleau, Sandy. "Eric Carle Author Study." Teaching Resources,
Children's Book Recommendations, and Student Activities |
Scholastic.com. 1996. Web. 01 Oct. 2010.
<http://www2.scholastic.com/browse/article.jsp?id=3234>.
• Kennedy, Elizabeth. "The Very Hungry Caterpillar." Children's Books Reviews Articles Lists of Best Children's Books. Web. 01 Oct. 2010.
<http://childrensbooks.about.com/cs/productreviews/fr/caterpillar.
htm>.
• All pictures are taken from creativecommons.com