The Very Hungry Catepillar

The Very Hungry Catepillar
By: Eric Carle
Genre: Science Fiction
Ages: 4-8

This story is about the life cycle of a butterfly.  It teaches children how the life cycle includes egg, larva, pupa and then adult butterfly. The book teaches children about each life cycle and what occurs during the different parts of the life cycle. Students will love seeing the different cycles a caterpillar goes through before becoming a beautiful butterfly!


Theme:
A butterfly is not born a butterfly. A butterfly goes through a life cycle to become an adult butterfly. It starts off as an egg. The egg turns into a larva which is another word for a caterpillar. The caterpillar then makes a pupa, or a cocoon. After being in the cocoon for awhile it turns into an adult butterfly.


About the author:
Eric Carle was born in Syracuse! He is a famous author and illustrator of children's literature. His most famous book is The Very Hungry Catepillar. It has been translated into 45 languages and sold over 30 million copies. His art work makes his work recongnizable and engaging for students. Many of his books have themes about nature. He is an author and illustrator who will be remembered for years to come.


Pre-reading activities:
Students will color and decorate a butterfly template that is given to them. They will cut it out and tape it to a Popsicle stick. They will bring the projects to the carpet to hold on to during the reading.


Post-reading activities:
The students will make their own booklets about the life cycle of a butterfly. There will be a page for each cycle and they will write one sentence about what happens during the cycles. They also will draw a picture of what that cycle looks like.

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