The Very Hungry Caterpillar’s First 100 Words

A lift-the-flap book

by Eric Carle

Reviewed by Mia Macrossan

Eric Carle has a long and distinguished career as a children’s picture book creator. His  distinctive colourful style in his stories and illustrations are immediately recognizable.  He is especially notable for The Very Hungry Caterpillar, first published in 1969, and still immensely popular today.

Here now is a sturdy board book illustrated in his trademark style filled with 100 wonderfully useful words for little people to learn.

Words are arranged thematically under headings: At Home, By the Sea, At the Zoo, In the City, In the Park, At the Picnic and finally In the Sky. Each double page spread presents a different world of words to explore.

What makes this book especially engaging is that it is a lift-the flap book. Each flap reveals another word and is totally irresistible for toddlers. They just love to lift that flap!

The book, in normal picture book size, with rounded corners for little hands,  and using that familiar easy to read font, is guaranteed to be popular with its intended audience. What a great way to build a child’s vocabulary.

Puffin 2021