It may have been written in 1969, but The Very Hungry Caterpillar is still one of the world’s most beloved children’s books – and characters.

As they follow the delightful journey of a very hungry little caterpillar through its metamorphosis into a beautiful butterfly, even the youngest of babies will sit wide eyed through the telling of this tale. After all, it is a glorious introduction to the wonderful world of bugs and butterflies as well as to an array of as-yet-unknown foods and flavours, plus numbers and days of the week. It even reminds us of the value of a little patience as you grow from a very tiny little caterpillar into that beautiful butterfly…

The original tale has been translated into more than 50 languages and with over 33 million copies sold worldwide, this classic shows no sign of losing its status as the must-have book for babies and toddlers alike.

The Pop-Up edition was published in celebration of the 40th anniversary, and offers a stunningly beautiful way to experience the glorious transformation. It is also one of MLSF’s favourite pop-ups to date! This wonderful visual adaptation of the original delivers Saturday’s feast on a massive paper-engineered pop-up platter, a big fat caterpillar bigger than your toddler’s hand, as well as a beautiful butterfly that almost flutters off the page in all its glittering glory…

Author Notes Born in New York in 1929, Eric Carle moved with his family to Germany when he was six, but returned to his childhood city in 1952 and worked as a graphic designer at The New York Times. Carle’s break into the world of children’s picture books came with Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? written by Bill Martin Jr, who had sought Carle out after seeing an image Carle had drawn for an advertisement. Two years later, The Very Hungry Caterpillar was published. Since then Carle has illustrated more than 70 books. His images are created using collage techniques with hand-painted paper cut  and layered to form his bright and cheerful images. He also owns The Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art in Amherst, Massachusetts, USA, which showcases an impressive and exciting array of great  children’s art, including, of course, his own brilliant works.