Eric Carle's The Very Hungry Caterpillar is a perennial favourite with children and adults alike. Its imaginative illustration and clever cut-out detail charts the progress of a very hungry caterpillar as he eats his way through the week.

This board book edition of what is surely a classic picture book is glossy, sturdy and ideal for curious little hands to get to grips with. (Ages 9 months to 2 years)--Susan Harrison

Keeps them occupied, 15 Aug 2008
The Very Hungry Caterpillar is a great little book. It keeps my daughter occupied for hours on end. Just a quick flick through it is enough to convince any adult that a small child will like it. Simplistic, enjoyable and charming. And actually quite funny.
Well recommended for very small kids.

Little ones just love it!, 07 Jul 2008
I remembered this book from when I was young so I decided to buy the board book version for my toddler daughter.
The smaller board book fits comfortably in her little hands and she adores paging through it, watching all that the little caterpillar eats (even the sad caterpillar face with a stomachache makes me smile)
My daughter reads it over and over again. It's a classic and a firm favorite in our home.

Fabulous, 21 Mar 2008
Fabulous story, beautifully and ingeniously illustrated.
The story of a week in the life of a caterpillar, from egg to cocoon to fully fledged butterfly, as it chomps its way through various foods in an attempt to satisfy it's insatiable appetite.
Lovely story and the visible holes the caterpillar makes in the various foods, one hole for day one, two for day two and so on, bring the story to life.
Highly recommended as a bedtime/anytime reader.

A classic book for 2 generations of our family!, 20 Mar 2008
This book about the greedy caterpillar was my younger brother's favourite when he was a child. He always found it very funny when the caterpillar got fat after eating all the food. Whilst I was pregnant with my son, I discovered that you could get this in a board book version, so I didn't hesitate to buy it (even though my Mum still has the paperback version in the loft). I'm glad I went for this because my son would have tore the pages out otherwise.
I had read it to my son as a young baby and he wasn't that interested. Then they had a fancy dress day at his nursery for World Book Day and I dressed him as a caterpillar and sent him with this book. I read the book to him and he just loves it now too. (I am sick of it personally, because I had to read it so many times!). I would heartily recommend it.

A book that needs no formal introduction, 28 Jan 2008
due to its popularity with nursery and primary school-children.

In a nutshell, it is about a newly hatched, tiny caterpillar who munches his way through a variety of foods, becoming bigger and bigger, until he isn't hungry anymore and is a big, fat caterpillar!

From the back cover:-
'A much-loved classic, `The Very Hungry Caterpillar' has won over millions of readers with its vivid and colourful collage illustrations and its deceptively simple, hopeful story.
With its die-cut pages and finger-sized holes to explore, this is a richly satisfying book for children.'

Large paperback with 28 high quality pages, in the popular 2-page spread format.
Bold, easy to follow text,repetitive in places.
Stunning illustrations, complete with holes to emphasise the hunger, introducing days of the week, fruits and a simple number game through what he eats when!

Example of text:-
'On Monday he ate through one apple.
But he was still hungry.
On Tuesday he ate through two pears, but he was still hungry.
On Wednesday he ate though three plums, but he was still hungry.
On Thursday he ate through four strawberries, but he was still hungry.......'

On Saturday, he eats so much he has a stomachache....but puts it right on Sunday, when he only nibbles through a nice green leaf!
Then he builds a cocoon and stays inside for over two weeks.............and an amazing thing happens!

Keeps them occupied, 15 Aug 2008
The Very Hungry Caterpillar is a great little book. It keeps my daughter occupied for hours on end. Just a quick flick through it is enough to convince any adult that a small child will like it. Simplistic, enjoyable and charming. And actually quite funny.
Well recommended for very small kids.

Little ones just love it!, 07 Jul 2008
I remembered this book from when I was young so I decided to buy the board book version for my toddler daughter.
The smaller board book fits comfortably in her little hands and she adores paging through it, watching all that the little caterpillar eats (even the sad caterpillar face with a stomachache makes me smile)
My daughter reads it over and over again. It's a classic and a firm favorite in our home.

Fabulous, 21 Mar 2008
Fabulous story, beautifully and ingeniously illustrated.
The story of a week in the life of a caterpillar, from egg to cocoon to fully fledged butterfly, as it chomps its way through various foods in an attempt to satisfy it's insatiable appetite.
Lovely story and the visible holes the caterpillar makes in the various foods, one hole for day one, two for day two and so on, bring the story to life.
Highly recommended as a bedtime/anytime reader.

A classic book for 2 generations of our family!, 20 Mar 2008
This book about the greedy caterpillar was my younger brother's favourite when he was a child. He always found it very funny when the caterpillar got fat after eating all the food. Whilst I was pregnant with my son, I discovered that you could get this in a board book version, so I didn't hesitate to buy it (even though my Mum still has the paperback version in the loft). I'm glad I went for this because my son would have tore the pages out otherwise.
I had read it to my son as a young baby and he wasn't that interested. Then they had a fancy dress day at his nursery for World Book Day and I dressed him as a caterpillar and sent him with this book. I read the book to him and he just loves it now too. (I am sick of it personally, because I had to read it so many times!). I would heartily recommend it.

A book that needs no formal introduction, 28 Jan 2008
due to its popularity with nursery and primary school-children.

In a nutshell, it is about a newly hatched, tiny caterpillar who munches his way through a variety of foods, becoming bigger and bigger, until he isn't hungry anymore and is a big, fat caterpillar!

From the back cover:-
'A much-loved classic, `The Very Hungry Caterpillar' has won over millions of readers with its vivid and colourful collage illustrations and its deceptively simple, hopeful story.
With its die-cut pages and finger-sized holes to explore, this is a richly satisfying book for children.'

Large paperback with 28 high quality pages, in the popular 2-page spread format.
Bold, easy to follow text,repetitive in places.
Stunning illustrations, complete with holes to emphasise the hunger, introducing days of the week, fruits and a simple number game through what he eats when!

Example of text:-
'On Monday he ate through one apple.
But he was still hungry.
On Tuesday he ate through two pears, but he was still hungry.
On Wednesday he ate though three plums, but he was still hungry.
On Thursday he ate through four strawberries, but he was still hungry.......'

On Saturday, he eats so much he has a stomachache....but puts it right on Sunday, when he only nibbles through a nice green leaf!
Then he builds a cocoon and stays inside for over two weeks.............and an amazing thing happens!

Rubbish!!, 28 Aug 2008
I bought this book on the strength of the great reviews it has had but it is terrible. It only has three pages with the pictures of mum, dad and baby that you see on the front cover. That is it! The pictures have black/white/yellow decorations around them that my daughter looked at briefly but an absolute waste of money!

a total hit!, 16 Aug 2008
my 3 month old granddaughter was captivated by this book from the second she saw it. I was doubtful when I first saw the book 'in the flesh' that it would hold her attention for long. It is extremely short and very simplistic, but she was (and still is) mesmerized by it. She stares intently at the patterns and smiles back at the faces. The crunchy sounds she is rewarded with when trying to grab at the pictures or chew the pages are an added bonus. This looks like being a favourite for quite some time

my 3 month old likes this book a lot, 11 Aug 2008
My baby boy seems to really like this book and has been fascinated by it from 3 months old. It will actually stop him crying. He looks at it for much longer than the cot book of a similar design. Money well spent.

Not to all tastes - over-rated, 10 Aug 2008
I bought this for my eight week old son and to be quite frank he isn't really interested in it. I was pleased to read another reviewer with the same issue because the over-whelming response seems to be that this book is wonderful. If you have a content baby, it will be brilliant. If you have an alert baby (translation hardly sleeps, cries a lot, needs constant stimulation) then this is not the book for them. I am sure he will enjoy chewing it but the pages did not hold a lot of interest for him.

absolutely rubbish , 03 Aug 2008
I am a busy mother of a four month old baby but I must write to let people know that this book is not great for every baby. I bought it after reading all the raving reviews on this site and I really do not know what they are talking about. My munchkin took one look at the book and ignored it. I kept trying to stoke her interest (and still periodically try) but to zero avail. Anything else is more interesting than this book. What's more I met another mother who felt exactly the same. So there are more of us out there in silent solidarity!

Keeps them occupied, 15 Aug 2008
The Very Hungry Caterpillar is a great little book. It keeps my daughter occupied for hours on end. Just a quick flick through it is enough to convince any adult that a small child will like it. Simplistic, enjoyable and charming. And actually quite funny.
Well recommended for very small kids.

Little ones just love it!, 07 Jul 2008
I remembered this book from when I was young so I decided to buy the board book version for my toddler daughter.
The smaller board book fits comfortably in her little hands and she adores paging through it, watching all that the little caterpillar eats (even the sad caterpillar face with a stomachache makes me smile)
My daughter reads it over and over again. It's a classic and a firm favorite in our home.

Fabulous, 21 Mar 2008
Fabulous story, beautifully and ingeniously illustrated.
The story of a week in the life of a caterpillar, from egg to cocoon to fully fledged butterfly, as it chomps its way through various foods in an attempt to satisfy it's insatiable appetite.
Lovely story and the visible holes the caterpillar makes in the various foods, one hole for day one, two for day two and so on, bring the story to life.
Highly recommended as a bedtime/anytime reader.

A classic book for 2 generations of our family!, 20 Mar 2008
This book about the greedy caterpillar was my younger brother's favourite when he was a child. He always found it very funny when the caterpillar got fat after eating all the food. Whilst I was pregnant with my son, I discovered that you could get this in a board book version, so I didn't hesitate to buy it (even though my Mum still has the paperback version in the loft). I'm glad I went for this because my son would have tore the pages out otherwise.
I had read it to my son as a young baby and he wasn't that interested. Then they had a fancy dress day at his nursery for World Book Day and I dressed him as a caterpillar and sent him with this book. I read the book to him and he just loves it now too. (I am sick of it personally, because I had to read it so many times!). I would heartily recommend it.

A book that needs no formal introduction, 28 Jan 2008
due to its popularity with nursery and primary school-children.

In a nutshell, it is about a newly hatched, tiny caterpillar who munches his way through a variety of foods, becoming bigger and bigger, until he isn't hungry anymore and is a big, fat caterpillar!

From the back cover:-
'A much-loved classic, `The Very Hungry Caterpillar' has won over millions of readers with its vivid and colourful collage illustrations and its deceptively simple, hopeful story.
With its die-cut pages and finger-sized holes to explore, this is a richly satisfying book for children.'

Large paperback with 28 high quality pages, in the popular 2-page spread format.
Bold, easy to follow text,repetitive in places.
Stunning illustrations, complete with holes to emphasise the hunger, introducing days of the week, fruits and a simple number game through what he eats when!

Example of text:-
'On Monday he ate through one apple.
But he was still hungry.
On Tuesday he ate through two pears, but he was still hungry.
On Wednesday he ate though three plums, but he was still hungry.
On Thursday he ate through four strawberries, but he was still hungry.......'

On Saturday, he eats so much he has a stomachache....but puts it right on Sunday, when he only nibbles through a nice green leaf!
Then he builds a cocoon and stays inside for over two weeks.............and an amazing thing happens!

Rubbish!!, 28 Aug 2008
I bought this book on the strength of the great reviews it has had but it is terrible. It only has three pages with the pictures of mum, dad and baby that you see on the front cover. That is it! The pictures have black/white/yellow decorations around them that my daughter looked at briefly but an absolute waste of money!

a total hit!, 16 Aug 2008
my 3 month old granddaughter was captivated by this book from the second she saw it. I was doubtful when I first saw the book 'in the flesh' that it would hold her attention for long. It is extremely short and very simplistic, but she was (and still is) mesmerized by it. She stares intently at the patterns and smiles back at the faces. The crunchy sounds she is rewarded with when trying to grab at the pictures or chew the pages are an added bonus. This looks like being a favourite for quite some time

my 3 month old likes this book a lot, 11 Aug 2008
My baby boy seems to really like this book and has been fascinated by it from 3 months old. It will actually stop him crying. He looks at it for much longer than the cot book of a similar design. Money well spent.

Not to all tastes - over-rated, 10 Aug 2008
I bought this for my eight week old son and to be quite frank he isn't really interested in it. I was pleased to read another reviewer with the same issue because the over-whelming response seems to be that this book is wonderful. If you have a content baby, it will be brilliant. If you have an alert baby (translation hardly sleeps, cries a lot, needs constant stimulation) then this is not the book for them. I am sure he will enjoy chewing it but the pages did not hold a lot of interest for him.

absolutely rubbish , 03 Aug 2008
I am a busy mother of a four month old baby but I must write to let people know that this book is not great for every baby. I bought it after reading all the raving reviews on this site and I really do not know what they are talking about. My munchkin took one look at the book and ignored it. I kept trying to stoke her interest (and still periodically try) but to zero avail. Anything else is more interesting than this book. What's more I met another mother who felt exactly the same. So there are more of us out there in silent solidarity!

Aliens Love Underpants, 07 Aug 2008
Colourful, funny, vibrant - fantastic book for the under 5's
It's follow-up Dinosaurs love underpants is also great, my son loves choosing which pair of pants he's going to wear from the inside cover, a lot of imagination, thought and effort has gone into these books.
One to add for sure!

PANTS are always great!!, 11 Jul 2008
This book is great, I read it to my year 6 class and they hooted with laughter, who said picture books aren't good fro older kids.
We even then did some work on this in our book week.
Good stuff, it would even make a good adult toilet book!!

Good fun, 25 Jun 2008
My three year old son thinks this book is hilarious. Lots of chuckles and silliness with pants and aliens, all good topics for little boys.

brilliant!, 23 Jun 2008
My little boy is only 7 months and he loves it already. He coos and gurgles at the brightly coloured pictures and loves me reading the rhyming story to him. I'm sure it'll be a firm favourite for years to come.

Hilarious, 03 Jun 2008
Purchased this for class of 3-5 yr olds to link in with topic on Outer Space. The children love the title and laughed from the start. It's great to be able to introduce sometimes taboo subjects like "pants" to little ones in such a light hearted way. We had great discussions about which of the pants pictured they thought our staff members might be wearing. Their answers were hilarious. Weeks after we read it the children are still quoting from it and recalling what the aliens were doing!

Keeps them occupied, 15 Aug 2008
The Very Hungry Caterpillar is a great little book. It keeps my daughter occupied for hours on end. Just a quick flick through it is enough to convince any adult that a small child will like it. Simplistic, enjoyable and charming. And actually quite funny.
Well recommended for very small kids.

Little ones just love it!, 07 Jul 2008
I remembered this book from when I was young so I decided to buy the board book version for my toddler daughter.
The smaller board book fits comfortably in her little hands and she adores paging through it, watching all that the little caterpillar eats (even the sad caterpillar face with a stomachache makes me smile)
My daughter reads it over and over again. It's a classic and a firm favorite in our home.

Fabulous, 21 Mar 2008
Fabulous story, beautifully and ingeniously illustrated.
The story of a week in the life of a caterpillar, from egg to cocoon to fully fledged butterfly, as it chomps its way through various foods in an attempt to satisfy it's insatiable appetite.
Lovely story and the visible holes the caterpillar makes in the various foods, one hole for day one, two for day two and so on, bring the story to life.
Highly recommended as a bedtime/anytime reader.

A classic book for 2 generations of our family!, 20 Mar 2008
This book about the greedy caterpillar was my younger brother's favourite when he was a child. He always found it very funny when the caterpillar got fat after eating all the food. Whilst I was pregnant with my son, I discovered that you could get this in a board book version, so I didn't hesitate to buy it (even though my Mum still has the paperback version in the loft). I'm glad I went for this because my son would have tore the pages out otherwise.
I had read it to my son as a young baby and he wasn't that interested. Then they had a fancy dress day at his nursery for World Book Day and I dressed him as a caterpillar and sent him with this book. I read the book to him and he just loves it now too. (I am sick of it personally, because I had to read it so many times!). I would heartily recommend it.

A book that needs no formal introduction, 28 Jan 2008
due to its popularity with nursery and primary school-children.

In a nutshell, it is about a newly hatched, tiny caterpillar who munches his way through a variety of foods, becoming bigger and bigger, until he isn't hungry anymore and is a big, fat caterpillar!

From the back cover:-
'A much-loved classic, `The Very Hungry Caterpillar' has won over millions of readers with its vivid and colourful collage illustrations and its deceptively simple, hopeful story.
With its die-cut pages and finger-sized holes to explore, this is a richly satisfying book for children.'

Large paperback with 28 high quality pages, in the popular 2-page spread format.
Bold, easy to follow text,repetitive in places.
Stunning illustrations, complete with holes to emphasise the hunger, introducing days of the week, fruits and a simple number game through what he eats when!

Example of text:-
'On Monday he ate through one apple.
But he was still hungry.
On Tuesday he ate through two pears, but he was still hungry.
On Wednesday he ate though three plums, but he was still hungry.
On Thursday he ate through four strawberries, but he was still hungry.......'

On Saturday, he eats so much he has a stomachache....but puts it right on Sunday, when he only nibbles through a nice green leaf!
Then he builds a cocoon and stays inside for over two weeks.............and an amazing thing happens!

Rubbish!!, 28 Aug 2008
I bought this book on the strength of the great reviews it has had but it is terrible. It only has three pages with the pictures of mum, dad and baby that you see on the front cover. That is it! The pictures have black/white/yellow decorations around them that my daughter looked at briefly but an absolute waste of money!

a total hit!, 16 Aug 2008
my 3 month old granddaughter was captivated by this book from the second she saw it. I was doubtful when I first saw the book 'in the flesh' that it would hold her attention for long. It is extremely short and very simplistic, but she was (and still is) mesmerized by it. She stares intently at the patterns and smiles back at the faces. The crunchy sounds she is rewarded with when trying to grab at the pictures or chew the pages are an added bonus. This looks like being a favourite for quite some time

my 3 month old likes this book a lot, 11 Aug 2008
My baby boy seems to really like this book and has been fascinated by it from 3 months old. It will actually stop him crying. He looks at it for much longer than the cot book of a similar design. Money well spent.

Not to all tastes - over-rated, 10 Aug 2008
I bought this for my eight week old son and to be quite frank he isn't really interested in it. I was pleased to read another reviewer with the same issue because the over-whelming response seems to be that this book is wonderful. If you have a content baby, it will be brilliant. If you have an alert baby (translation hardly sleeps, cries a lot, needs constant stimulation) then this is not the book for them. I am sure he will enjoy chewing it but the pages did not hold a lot of interest for him.

absolutely rubbish , 03 Aug 2008
I am a busy mother of a four month old baby but I must write to let people know that this book is not great for every baby. I bought it after reading all the raving reviews on this site and I really do not know what they are talking about. My munchkin took one look at the book and ignored it. I kept trying to stoke her interest (and still periodically try) but to zero avail. Anything else is more interesting than this book. What's more I met another mother who felt exactly the same. So there are more of us out there in silent solidarity!

Aliens Love Underpants, 07 Aug 2008
Colourful, funny, vibrant - fantastic book for the under 5's
It's follow-up Dinosaurs love underpants is also great, my son loves choosing which pair of pants he's going to wear from the inside cover, a lot of imagination, thought and effort has gone into these books.
One to add for sure!

PANTS are always great!!, 11 Jul 2008
This book is great, I read it to my year 6 class and they hooted with laughter, who said picture books aren't good fro older kids.
We even then did some work on this in our book week.
Good stuff, it would even make a good adult toilet book!!

Good fun, 25 Jun 2008
My three year old son thinks this book is hilarious. Lots of chuckles and silliness with pants and aliens, all good topics for little boys.

brilliant!, 23 Jun 2008
My little boy is only 7 months and he loves it already. He coos and gurgles at the brightly coloured pictures and loves me reading the rhyming story to him. I'm sure it'll be a firm favourite for years to come.

Hilarious, 03 Jun 2008
Purchased this for class of 3-5 yr olds to link in with topic on Outer Space. The children love the title and laughed from the start. It's great to be able to introduce sometimes taboo subjects like "pants" to little ones in such a light hearted way. We had great discussions about which of the pants pictured they thought our staff members might be wearing. Their answers were hilarious. Weeks after we read it the children are still quoting from it and recalling what the aliens were doing!

Brilliant, 30 Jul 2008
My 2 year old daughter loves all of these books - very imaginative stories - great illustrations - pages contain lots of detail she really enjoys.

Top marks!, 07 Jul 2008
My daughter who is not yet two just loves this book, she finds it hard to put down and wants to read it over and over (luckily for us, Mummy and Daddy enjoy it too)
The only mistake I made though was buying the paperback version first (I didn't see the board one was available at the time) so if you are buying for smaller hands and fingers then I would suggest buying the board book first. I am going to and then put aside the paperback for when she is a bit older....as it is, this favorite isn't going to last very long in our home as my daughter would take it with her in the bath if she could!

Excellent storyline and illustrations. Top marks all round!!


Great Pre-school Reading, 06 Jul 2008
Absolutely fascinating book. My twin nieces have enjoyed this from the age of three, when it was first bought for them until now, at the ripe old age of 4 years.
They love the story, the illustrations and love telling Mum & Dad what is going to happen on the next page before it is turned over !!!
This book was well worth the cost and has been excellent in every way. Highly recommended for your toddler.

Buzz off thats MY witch !!!, 04 Jul 2008
Simply fantastic.

The rhyming scheme is fantastic and the characters likeable. Even tho the witch is 'ugly' and has a big wart on her nose, she is kind and helps people and ISN'T scary.

A very funny story, with great rhymes and moral messages but without being preachy- so they just absorb my osmosis that if you do good things for your friends and dont judge them on how they look, then they will do good things for you in return.

The highlight tho is my 3 year old and I booming out together "BUZZ OFF- THATS *MY* WITCH" at the dragon. Even funnier was when he reused it when his friend tried to take one of his cars !! Ha ha

Buy it, you wont regret it

"The witch had a cat and a very tall hat, and long ginger hair which she wore in a plait.", 23 Apr 2008
Its hard for me to review this book because I SO wanted to give it a 5 star rating. It has fun clear pictures and the rhyming story is easy to read and fun to tell. I really think it deserves top marks!

But my 3 year old son HATED it. He was scared of the dragon and scared of the witch! After our first reading he said to me "Mummy, I don't like that book"!

However, I do think there are a lot of children out there who WILL like it. In fact, I have purchased a copy for a friend's daughter who I know for a fact loves stories about witches.

Therefore I am giving this book 4 stars, because I like it, some children will like it, its just that my own son didn't.

Keeps them occupied, 15 Aug 2008
The Very Hungry Caterpillar is a great little book. It keeps my daughter occupied for hours on end. Just a quick flick through it is enough to convince any adult that a small child will like it. Simplistic, enjoyable and charming. And actually quite funny.
Well recommended for very small kids.

Little ones just love it!, 07 Jul 2008
I remembered this book from when I was young so I decided to buy the board book version for my toddler daughter.
The smaller board book fits comfortably in her little hands and she adores paging through it, watching all that the little caterpillar eats (even the sad caterpillar face with a stomachache makes me smile)
My daughter reads it over and over again. It's a classic and a firm favorite in our home.

Fabulous, 21 Mar 2008
Fabulous story, beautifully and ingeniously illustrated.
The story of a week in the life of a caterpillar, from egg to cocoon to fully fledged butterfly, as it chomps its way through various foods in an attempt to satisfy it's insatiable appetite.
Lovely story and the visible holes the caterpillar makes in the various foods, one hole for day one, two for day two and so on, bring the story to life.
Highly recommended as a bedtime/anytime reader.

A classic book for 2 generations of our family!, 20 Mar 2008
This book about the greedy caterpillar was my younger brother's favourite when he was a child. He always found it very funny when the caterpillar got fat after eating all the food. Whilst I was pregnant with my son, I discovered that you could get this in a board book version, so I didn't hesitate to buy it (even though my Mum still has the paperback version in the loft). I'm glad I went for this because my son would have tore the pages out otherwise.
I had read it to my son as a young baby and he wasn't that interested. Then they had a fancy dress day at his nursery for World Book Day and I dressed him as a caterpillar and sent him with this book. I read the book to him and he just loves it now too. (I am sick of it personally, because I had to read it so many times!). I would heartily recommend it.

A book that needs no formal introduction, 28 Jan 2008
due to its popularity with nursery and primary school-children.

In a nutshell, it is about a newly hatched, tiny caterpillar who munches his way through a variety of foods, becoming bigger and bigger, until he isn't hungry anymore and is a big, fat caterpillar!

From the back cover:-
'A much-loved classic, `The Very Hungry Caterpillar' has won over millions of readers with its vivid and colourful collage illustrations and its deceptively simple, hopeful story.
With its die-cut pages and finger-sized holes to explore, this is a richly satisfying book for children.'

Large paperback with 28 high quality pages, in the popular 2-page spread format.
Bold, easy to follow text,repetitive in places.
Stunning illustrations, complete with holes to emphasise the hunger, introducing days of the week, fruits and a simple number game through what he eats when!

Example of text:-
'On Monday he ate through one apple.
But he was still hungry.
On Tuesday he ate through two pears, but he was still hungry.
On Wednesday he ate though three plums, but he was still hungry.
On Thursday he ate through four strawberries, but he was still hungry.......'

On Saturday, he eats so much he has a stomachache....but puts it right on Sunday, when he only nibbles through a nice green leaf!
Then he builds a cocoon and stays inside for over two weeks.............and an amazing thing happens!

Rubbish!!, 28 Aug 2008
I bought this book on the strength of the great reviews it has had but it is terrible. It only has three pages with the pictures of mum, dad and baby that you see on the front cover. That is it! The pictures have black/white/yellow decorations around them that my daughter looked at briefly but an absolute waste of money!

a total hit!, 16 Aug 2008
my 3 month old granddaughter was captivated by this book from the second she saw it. I was doubtful when I first saw the book 'in the flesh' that it would hold her attention for long. It is extremely short and very simplistic, but she was (and still is) mesmerized by it. She stares intently at the patterns and smiles back at the faces. The crunchy sounds she is rewarded with when trying to grab at the pictures or chew the pages are an added bonus. This looks like being a favourite for quite some time

my 3 month old likes this book a lot, 11 Aug 2008
My baby boy seems to really like this book and has been fascinated by it from 3 months old. It will actually stop him crying. He looks at it for much longer than the cot book of a similar design. Money well spent.

Not to all tastes - over-rated, 10 Aug 2008
I bought this for my eight week old son and to be quite frank he isn't really interested in it. I was pleased to read another reviewer with the same issue because the over-whelming response seems to be that this book is wonderful. If you have a content baby, it will be brilliant. If you have an alert baby (translation hardly sleeps, cries a lot, needs constant stimulation) then this is not the book for them. I am sure he will enjoy chewing it but the pages did not hold a lot of interest for him.

absolutely rubbish , 03 Aug 2008
I am a busy mother of a four month old baby but I must write to let people know that this book is not great for every baby. I bought it after reading all the raving reviews on this site and I really do not know what they are talking about. My munchkin took one look at the book and ignored it. I kept trying to stoke her interest (and still periodically try) but to zero avail. Anything else is more interesting than this book. What's more I met another mother who felt exactly the same. So there are more of us out there in silent solidarity!

Aliens Love Underpants, 07 Aug 2008
Colourful, funny, vibrant - fantastic book for the under 5's
It's follow-up Dinosaurs love underpants is also great, my son loves choosing which pair of pants he's going to wear from the inside cover, a lot of imagination, thought and effort has gone into these books.
One to add for sure!

PANTS are always great!!, 11 Jul 2008
This book is great, I read it to my year 6 class and they hooted with laughter, who said picture books aren't good fro older kids.
We even then did some work on this in our book week.
Good stuff, it would even make a good adult toilet book!!

Good fun, 25 Jun 2008
My three year old son thinks this book is hilarious. Lots of chuckles and silliness with pants and aliens, all good topics for little boys.

brilliant!, 23 Jun 2008
My little boy is only 7 months and he loves it already. He coos and gurgles at the brightly coloured pictures and loves me reading the rhyming story to him. I'm sure it'll be a firm favourite for years to come.

Hilarious, 03 Jun 2008
Purchased this for class of 3-5 yr olds to link in with topic on Outer Space. The children love the title and laughed from the start. It's great to be able to introduce sometimes taboo subjects like "pants" to little ones in such a light hearted way. We had great discussions about which of the pants pictured they thought our staff members might be wearing. Their answers were hilarious. Weeks after we read it the children are still quoting from it and recalling what the aliens were doing!

Brilliant, 30 Jul 2008
My 2 year old daughter loves all of these books - very imaginative stories - great illustrations - pages contain lots of detail she really enjoys.

Top marks!, 07 Jul 2008
My daughter who is not yet two just loves this book, she finds it hard to put down and wants to read it over and over (luckily for us, Mummy and Daddy enjoy it too)
The only mistake I made though was buying the paperback version first (I didn't see the board one was available at the time) so if you are buying for smaller hands and fingers then I would suggest buying the board book first. I am going to and then put aside the paperback for when she is a bit older....as it is, this favorite isn't going to last very long in our home as my daughter would take it with her in the bath if she could!

Excellent storyline and illustrations. Top marks all round!!


Great Pre-school Reading, 06 Jul 2008
Absolutely fascinating book. My twin nieces have enjoyed this from the age of three, when it was first bought for them until now, at the ripe old age of 4 years.
They love the story, the illustrations and love telling Mum & Dad what is going to happen on the next page before it is turned over !!!
This book was well worth the cost and has been excellent in every way. Highly recommended for your toddler.

Buzz off thats MY witch !!!, 04 Jul 2008
Simply fantastic.

The rhyming scheme is fantastic and the characters likeable. Even tho the witch is 'ugly' and has a big wart on her nose, she is kind and helps people and ISN'T scary.

A very funny story, with great rhymes and moral messages but without being preachy- so they just absorb my osmosis that if you do good things for your friends and dont judge them on how they look, then they will do good things for you in return.

The highlight tho is my 3 year old and I booming out together "BUZZ OFF- THATS *MY* WITCH" at the dragon. Even funnier was when he reused it when his friend tried to take one of his cars !! Ha ha

Buy it, you wont regret it

"The witch had a cat and a very tall hat, and long ginger hair which she wore in a plait.", 23 Apr 2008
Its hard for me to review this book because I SO wanted to give it a 5 star rating. It has fun clear pictures and the rhyming story is easy to read and fun to tell. I really think it deserves top marks!

But my 3 year old son HATED it. He was scared of the dragon and scared of the witch! After our first reading he said to me "Mummy, I don't like that book"!

However, I do think there are a lot of children out there who WILL like it. In fact, I have purchased a copy for a friend's daughter who I know for a fact loves stories about witches.

Therefore I am giving this book 4 stars, because I like it, some children will like it, its just that my own son didn't.



Brings back childhood memories, 31 Jul 2008
I love this book! I remember it from when I was a kid, (more than 30 years ago!) I have been searching for it for ages for my 3 year old son who loves books, and he loves it too. Not sure if it has changed over the years, but it's very much the same as I remember it to be.

My toddler prefers other sing along books, 06 May 2008
My 17 month old little boy has this, along with other sing along books, he's never taken to this one.
He much prefers "the wheels on the bus", I'm not sure if it's because this book isn't very colourful.
I have to say I was pretty disappointed with it when it arrived.




Better as a song than a book, 27 Apr 2008
This is a great song for children but doesn't really work as a book. The words are crammed in so is difficult to read and very repetetive. My daughter loves all books but after two pages of this, she is ready to move on to something different.

I'd buy a CD of nursery rhymes for this song rather than buy the book.

A great book of a favourite rhyme!, 25 Apr 2008
There was an Old Lady who swallowed a fly, one of my favourite nursery rhymes ever turned into this fantastically designed book! I love the vintage style illustrations, kind of like what I used to have when I was at school. Besides the nostalgia, the real selling points are the excellent cut-away sections. As you turn each page to see what exactly the old lady swallowed, more is revealed!! Right down to the horse, with each different animal inside. Plus the Audio cd that comes with it is great for car journeys! Sing along! You know the words!

Ingenious, 21 Mar 2008
We all know the song, but who can remember all the verses? I can!
Well, not really, but with the help of this book as each new character in the tale comes into view, the words from the previous characters are all there on the opposite page viewed through the old lady's stomach. Fabulous. Very creative and great for a bedtime/anytime reader/song.

Keeps them occupied, 15 Aug 2008
The Very Hungry Caterpillar is a great little book. It keeps my daughter occupied for hours on end. Just a quick flick through it is enough to convince any adult that a small child will like it. Simplistic, enjoyable and charming. And actually quite funny.
Well recommended for very small kids.

Little ones just love it!, 07 Jul 2008
I remembered this book from when I was young so I decided to buy the board book version for my toddler daughter.
The smaller board book fits comfortably in her little hands and she adores paging through it, watching all that the little caterpillar eats (even the sad caterpillar face with a stomachache makes me smile)
My daughter reads it over and over again. It's a classic and a firm favorite in our home.

Fabulous, 21 Mar 2008
Fabulous story, beautifully and ingeniously illustrated.
The story of a week in the life of a caterpillar, from egg to cocoon to fully fledged butterfly, as it chomps its way through various foods in an attempt to satisfy it's insatiable appetite.
Lovely story and the visible holes the caterpillar makes in the various foods, one hole for day one, two for day two and so on, bring the story to life.
Highly recommended as a bedtime/anytime reader.

A classic book for 2 generations of our family!, 20 Mar 2008
This book about the greedy caterpillar was my younger brother's favourite when he was a child. He always found it very funny when the caterpillar got fat after eating all the food. Whilst I was pregnant with my son, I discovered that you could get this in a board book version, so I didn't hesitate to buy it (even though my Mum still has the paperback version in the loft). I'm glad I went for this because my son would have tore the pages out otherwise.
I had read it to my son as a young baby and he wasn't that interested. Then they had a fancy dress day at his nursery for World Book Day and I dressed him as a caterpillar and sent him with this book. I read the book to him and he just loves it now too. (I am sick of it personally, because I had to read it so many times!). I would heartily recommend it.

A book that needs no formal introduction, 28 Jan 2008
due to its popularity with nursery and primary school-children.

In a nutshell, it is about a newly hatched, tiny caterpillar who munches his way through a variety of foods, becoming bigger and bigger, until he isn't hungry anymore and is a big, fat caterpillar!

From the back cover:-
'A much-loved classic, `The Very Hungry Caterpillar' has won over millions of readers with its vivid and colourful collage illustrations and its deceptively simple, hopeful story.
With its die-cut pages and finger-sized holes to explore, this is a richly satisfying book for children.'

Large paperback with 28 high quality pages, in the popular 2-page spread format.
Bold, easy to follow text,repetitive in places.
Stunning illustrations, complete with holes to emphasise the hunger, introducing days of the week, fruits and a simple number game through what he eats when!

Example of text:-
'On Monday he ate through one apple.
But he was still hungry.
On Tuesday he ate through two pears, but he was still hungry.
On Wednesday he ate though three plums, but he was still hungry.
On Thursday he ate through four strawberries, but he was still hungry.......'

On Saturday, he eats so much he has a stomachache....but puts it right on Sunday, when he only nibbles through a nice green leaf!
Then he builds a cocoon and stays inside for over two weeks.............and an amazing thing happens!

Rubbish!!, 28 Aug 2008
I bought this book on the strength of the great reviews it has had but it is terrible. It only has three pages with the pictures of mum, dad and baby that you see on the front cover. That is it! The pictures have black/white/yellow decorations around them that my daughter looked at briefly but an absolute waste of money!

a total hit!, 16 Aug 2008
my 3 month old granddaughter was captivated by this book from the second she saw it. I was doubtful when I first saw the book 'in the flesh' that it would hold her attention for long. It is extremely short and very simplistic, but she was (and still is) mesmerized by it. She stares intently at the patterns and smiles back at the faces. The crunchy sounds she is rewarded with when trying to grab at the pictures or chew the pages are an added bonus. This looks like being a favourite for quite some time

my 3 month old likes this book a lot, 11 Aug 2008
My baby boy seems to really like this book and has been fascinated by it from 3 months old. It will actually stop him crying. He looks at it for much longer than the cot book of a similar design. Money well spent.

Not to all tastes - over-rated, 10 Aug 2008
I bought this for my eight week old son and to be quite frank he isn't really interested in it. I was pleased to read another reviewer with the same issue because the over-whelming response seems to be that this book is wonderful. If you have a content baby, it will be brilliant. If you have an alert baby (translation hardly sleeps, cries a lot, needs constant stimulation) then this is not the book for them. I am sure he will enjoy chewing it but the pages did not hold a lot of interest for him.

absolutely rubbish , 03 Aug 2008
I am a busy mother of a four month old baby but I must write to let people know that this book is not great for every baby. I bought it after reading all the raving reviews on this site and I really do not know what they are talking about. My munchkin took one look at the book and ignored it. I kept trying to stoke her interest (and still periodically try) but to zero avail. Anything else is more interesting than this book. What's more I met another mother who felt exactly the same. So there are more of us out there in silent solidarity!

Aliens Love Underpants, 07 Aug 2008
Colourful, funny, vibrant - fantastic book for the under 5's
It's follow-up Dinosaurs love underpants is also great, my son loves choosing which pair of pants he's going to wear from the inside cover, a lot of imagination, thought and effort has gone into these books.
One to add for sure!

PANTS are always great!!, 11 Jul 2008
This book is great, I read it to my year 6 class and they hooted with laughter, who said picture books aren't good fro older kids.
We even then did some work on this in our book week.
Good stuff, it would even make a good adult toilet book!!

Good fun, 25 Jun 2008
My three year old son thinks this book is hilarious. Lots of chuckles and silliness with pants and aliens, all good topics for little boys.

brilliant!, 23 Jun 2008
My little boy is only 7 months and he loves it already. He coos and gurgles at the brightly coloured pictures and loves me reading the rhyming story to him. I'm sure it'll be a firm favourite for years to come.

Hilarious, 03 Jun 2008
Purchased this for class of 3-5 yr olds to link in with topic on Outer Space. The children love the title and laughed from the start. It's great to be able to introduce sometimes taboo subjects like "pants" to little ones in such a light hearted way. We had great discussions about which of the pants pictured they thought our staff members might be wearing. Their answers were hilarious. Weeks after we read it the children are still quoting from it and recalling what the aliens were doing!

Brilliant, 30 Jul 2008
My 2 year old daughter loves all of these books - very imaginative stories - great illustrations - pages contain lots of detail she really enjoys.

Top marks!, 07 Jul 2008
My daughter who is not yet two just loves this book, she finds it hard to put down and wants to read it over and over (luckily for us, Mummy and Daddy enjoy it too)
The only mistake I made though was buying the paperback version first (I didn't see the board one was available at the time) so if you are buying for smaller hands and fingers then I would suggest buying the board book first. I am going to and then put aside the paperback for when she is a bit older....as it is, this favorite isn't going to last very long in our home as my daughter would take it with her in the bath if she could!

Excellent storyline and illustrations. Top marks all round!!


Great Pre-school Reading, 06 Jul 2008
Absolutely fascinating book. My twin nieces have enjoyed this from the age of three, when it was first bought for them until now, at the ripe old age of 4 years.
They love the story, the illustrations and love telling Mum & Dad what is going to happen on the next page before it is turned over !!!
This book was well worth the cost and has been excellent in every way. Highly recommended for your toddler.

Buzz off thats MY witch !!!, 04 Jul 2008
Simply fantastic.

The rhyming scheme is fantastic and the characters likeable. Even tho the witch is 'ugly' and has a big wart on her nose, she is kind and helps people and ISN'T scary.

A very funny story, with great rhymes and moral messages but without being preachy- so they just absorb my osmosis that if you do good things for your friends and dont judge them on how they look, then they will do good things for you in return.

The highlight tho is my 3 year old and I booming out together "BUZZ OFF- THATS *MY* WITCH" at the dragon. Even funnier was when he reused it when his friend tried to take one of his cars !! Ha ha

Buy it, you wont regret it

"The witch had a cat and a very tall hat, and long ginger hair which she wore in a plait.", 23 Apr 2008
Its hard for me to review this book because I SO wanted to give it a 5 star rating. It has fun clear pictures and the rhyming story is easy to read and fun to tell. I really think it deserves top marks!

But my 3 year old son HATED it. He was scared of the dragon and scared of the witch! After our first reading he said to me "Mummy, I don't like that book"!

However, I do think there are a lot of children out there who WILL like it. In fact, I have purchased a copy for a friend's daughter who I know for a fact loves stories about witches.

Therefore I am giving this book 4 stars, because I like it, some children will like it, its just that my own son didn't.



Brings back childhood memories, 31 Jul 2008
I love this book! I remember it from when I was a kid, (more than 30 years ago!) I have been searching for it for ages for my 3 year old son who loves books, and he loves it too. Not sure if it has changed over the years, but it's very much the same as I remember it to be.

My toddler prefers other sing along books, 06 May 2008
My 17 month old little boy has this, along with other sing along books, he's never taken to this one.
He much prefers "the wheels on the bus", I'm not sure if it's because this book isn't very colourful.
I have to say I was pretty disappointed with it when it arrived.




Better as a song than a book, 27 Apr 2008
This is a great song for children but doesn't really work as a book. The words are crammed in so is difficult to read and very repetetive. My daughter loves all books but after two pages of this, she is ready to move on to something different.

I'd buy a CD of nursery rhymes for this song rather than buy the book.

A great book of a favourite rhyme!, 25 Apr 2008
There was an Old Lady who swallowed a fly, one of my favourite nursery rhymes ever turned into this fantastically designed book! I love the vintage style illustrations, kind of like what I used to have when I was at school. Besides the nostalgia, the real selling points are the excellent cut-away sections. As you turn each page to see what exactly the old lady swallowed, more is revealed!! Right down to the horse, with each different animal inside. Plus the Audio cd that comes with it is great for car journeys! Sing along! You know the words!

Ingenious, 21 Mar 2008
We all know the song, but who can remember all the verses? I can!
Well, not really, but with the help of this book as each new character in the tale comes into view, the words from the previous characters are all there on the opposite page viewed through the old lady's stomach. Fabulous. Very creative and great for a bedtime/anytime reader/song.

another crowd pleaser, 27 Jul 2008
Another crowd pleaser from the author and illustrator of The Gruffalo and Room on a Broom. My kids love these books. They don't ever get tired of hearing them, which is why this gets four stars. It doesn't get five because I don't like it at all. If you're looking for funny rhyming books with great illustrations I highly recommend the work of Lynley Dodd whose prolific output includes Hairy Maclary from Donaldson's Dairy and Slinky Malinky.

What I find most annoying about reading this book out loud is the fact that the words are squeezed to fit the fact that this is a rhyming story. The sentences just don't work, and yet the rhyme is so appealing for children that it is both memorable and immensely popular. The illustrations are good and there is lots of detail to talk about which keeps them amused and very engaged with the story.

So, great for kids, not for me.

This is a tale of a tiny snail..., 21 Jul 2008
I don't normally write reviews (laziness really!) but for this book I make an exception. My 16 month old LOVES this book. I thought he'd be a bit young for the lengthy story, but not at all, he can't get enough of it!! 4 times in a 2hour period yesterday!! Maybe that's a bad thing!? Illustrations are beautiful & the story is simple yet wonderful... it's probably my favourite book too!

Lovely story with great pictures and rhymes, 21 Jun 2008
This was an instant hit with my toddler, who was entranced by the rhymes and learned the word snail within a single read. I found myself quite moved when reading it too, especially when the snail feels small in the big beautiful world.

wallydos, 12 Jun 2008
My 2 year old son adores The Snail and the Whale as well as the Room on the Broom. We read them nearly every night. They are also fun to read as an adult compared to many other children's books that drive you potty after the 10th time!

Firm favourite, 30 Apr 2008
This is a wonderful story with lovely illustrations which my son has enjoyed from age 1. He repeats the words and loves looking at the pictures and talking about all the things going on and naming all the animals etc. It's an uplifting story with a world view which makes the point that everyone has a place in the world, no matter how small.

"A gruffalo? What's a gruffalo?"
"A gruffalo! Why, didn't you know? He has terrible tusks, and terrible claws, and terrible teeth in his terrible jaws."

And so begins the story of a quick-witted mouse as he encounters a host of predators who seem to think he might make a tasty treat. As he ventures deeper into the deep dark wood, stumbling across a hungry fox, a not-so-wise owl, and a slimy snake, spinning ever-extraordinary yarns about the scary, scaly gruffalo, he quickly realises that the hungry beast he has been talking of isn't imaginary after all.

A witty, sly little story that wrings giggles from the belly of the reader, The Gruffalo is both stylish and hilarious, simple in its execution, as it plays skilfully on a child's fears and then shows that even the most threatening of monsters are not always as scary as they seem.

A combination of read-along-rhyme by Julia Donaldson and illustrations by Alex Sheffler which perfectly capture the atmosphere of the story, The Gruffalo is an excellent picture book for 3-5-year-olds to read along with their parents, and is certain to become something of a classic. --Susan Harrison

Keeps them occupied, 15 Aug 2008
The Very Hungry Caterpillar is a great little book. It keeps my daughter occupied for hours on end. Just a quick flick through it is enough to convince any adult that a small child will like it. Simplistic, enjoyable and charming. And actually quite funny.
Well recommended for very small kids.

Little ones just love it!, 07 Jul 2008
I remembered this book from when I was young so I decided to buy the board book version for my toddler daughter.
The smaller board book fits comfortably in her little hands and she adores paging through it, watching all that the little caterpillar eats (even the sad caterpillar face with a stomachache makes me smile)
My daughter reads it over and over again. It's a classic and a firm favorite in our home.

Fabulous, 21 Mar 2008
Fabulous story, beautifully and ingeniously illustrated.
The story of a week in the life of a caterpillar, from egg to cocoon to fully fledged butterfly, as it chomps its way through various foods in an attempt to satisfy it's insatiable appetite.
Lovely story and the visible holes the caterpillar makes in the various foods, one hole for day one, two for day two and so on, bring the story to life.
Highly recommended as a bedtime/anytime reader.

A classic book for 2 generations of our family!, 20 Mar 2008
This book about the greedy caterpillar was my younger brother's favourite when he was a child. He always found it very funny when the caterpillar got fat after eating all the food. Whilst I was pregnant with my son, I discovered that you could get this in a board book version, so I didn't hesitate to buy it (even though my Mum still has the paperback version in the loft). I'm glad I went for this because my son would have tore the pages out otherwise.
I had read it to my son as a young baby and he wasn't that interested. Then they had a fancy dress day at his nursery for World Book Day and I dressed him as a caterpillar and sent him with this book. I read the book to him and he just loves it now too. (I am sick of it personally, because I had to read it so many times!). I would heartily recommend it.

A book that needs no formal introduction, 28 Jan 2008
due to its popularity with nursery and primary school-children.

In a nutshell, it is about a newly hatched, tiny caterpillar who munches his way through a variety of foods, becoming bigger and bigger, until he isn't hungry anymore and is a big, fat caterpillar!

From the back cover:-
'A much-loved classic, `The Very Hungry Caterpillar' has won over millions of readers with its vivid and colourful collage illustrations and its deceptively simple, hopeful story.
With its die-cut pages and finger-sized holes to explore, this is a richly satisfying book for children.'

Large paperback with 28 high quality pages, in the popular 2-page spread format.
Bold, easy to follow text,repetitive in places.
Stunning illustrations, complete with holes to emphasise the hunger, introducing days of the week, fruits and a simple number game through what he eats when!

Example of text:-
'On Monday he ate through one apple.
But he was still hungry.
On Tuesday he ate through two pears, but he was still hungry.
On Wednesday he ate though three plums, but he was still hungry.
On Thursday he ate through four strawberries, but he was still hungry.......'

On Saturday, he eats so much he has a stomachache....but puts it right on Sunday, when he only nibbles through a nice green leaf!
Then he builds a cocoon and stays inside for over two weeks.............and an amazing thing happens!

Rubbish!!, 28 Aug 2008
I bought this book on the strength of the great reviews it has had but it is terrible. It only has three pages with the pictures of mum, dad and baby that you see on the front cover. That is it! The pictures have black/white/yellow decorations around them that my daughter looked at briefly but an absolute waste of money!

a total hit!, 16 Aug 2008
my 3 month old granddaughter was captivated by this book from the second she saw it. I was doubtful when I first saw the book 'in the flesh' that it would hold her attention for long. It is extremely short and very simplistic, but she was (and still is) mesmerized by it. She stares intently at the patterns and smiles back at the faces. The crunchy sounds she is rewarded with when trying to grab at the pictures or chew the pages are an added bonus. This looks like being a favourite for quite some time

my 3 month old likes this book a lot, 11 Aug 2008
My baby boy seems to really like this book and has been fascinated by it from 3 months old. It will actually stop him crying. He looks at it for much longer than the cot book of a similar design. Money well spent.

Not to all tastes - over-rated, 10 Aug 2008
I bought this for my eight week old son and to be quite frank he isn't really interested in it. I was pleased to read another reviewer with the same issue because the over-whelming response seems to be that this book is wonderful. If you have a content baby, it will be brilliant. If you have an alert baby (translation hardly sleeps, cries a lot, needs constant stimulation) then this is not the book for them. I am sure he will enjoy chewing it but the pages did not hold a lot of interest for him.

absolutely rubbish , 03 Aug 2008
I am a busy mother of a four month old baby but I must write to let people know that this book is not great for every baby. I bought it after reading all the raving reviews on this site and I really do not know what they are talking about. My munchkin took one look at the book and ignored it. I kept trying to stoke her interest (and still periodically try) but to zero avail. Anything else is more interesting than this book. What's more I met another mother who felt exactly the same. So there are more of us out there in silent solidarity!

Aliens Love Underpants, 07 Aug 2008
Colourful, funny, vibrant - fantastic book for the under 5's
It's follow-up Dinosaurs love underpants is also great, my son loves choosing which pair of pants he's going to wear from the inside cover, a lot of imagination, thought and effort has gone into these books.
One to add for sure!

PANTS are always great!!, 11 Jul 2008
This book is great, I read it to my year 6 class and they hooted with laughter, who said picture books aren't good fro older kids.
We even then did some work on this in our book week.
Good stuff, it would even make a good adult toilet book!!

Good fun, 25 Jun 2008
My three year old son thinks this book is hilarious. Lots of chuckles and silliness with pants and aliens, all good topics for little boys.

brilliant!, 23 Jun 2008
My little boy is only 7 months and he loves it already. He coos and gurgles at the brightly coloured pictures and loves me reading the rhyming story to him. I'm sure it'll be a firm favourite for years to come.

Hilarious, 03 Jun 2008
Purchased this for class of 3-5 yr olds to link in with topic on Outer Space. The children love the title and laughed from the start. It's great to be able to introduce sometimes taboo subjects like "pants" to little ones in such a light hearted way. We had great discussions about which of the pants pictured they thought our staff members might be wearing. Their answers were hilarious. Weeks after we read it the children are still quoting from it and recalling what the aliens were doing!

Brilliant, 30 Jul 2008
My 2 year old daughter loves all of these books - very imaginative stories - great illustrations - pages contain lots of detail she really enjoys.

Top marks!, 07 Jul 2008
My daughter who is not yet two just loves this book, she finds it hard to put down and wants to read it over and over (luckily for us, Mummy and Daddy enjoy it too)
The only mistake I made though was buying the paperback version first (I didn't see the board one was available at the time) so if you are buying for smaller hands and fingers then I would suggest buying the board book first. I am going to and then put aside the paperback for when she is a bit older....as it is, this favorite isn't going to last very long in our home as my daughter would take it with her in the bath if she could!

Excellent storyline and illustrations. Top marks all round!!


Great Pre-school Reading, 06 Jul 2008
Absolutely fascinating book. My twin nieces have enjoyed this from the age of three, when it was first bought for them until now, at the ripe old age of 4 years.
They love the story, the illustrations and love telling Mum & Dad what is going to happen on the next page before it is turned over !!!
This book was well worth the cost and has been excellent in every way. Highly recommended for your toddler.

Buzz off thats MY witch !!!, 04 Jul 2008
Simply fantastic.

The rhyming scheme is fantastic and the characters likeable. Even tho the witch is 'ugly' and has a big wart on her nose, she is kind and helps people and ISN'T scary.

A very funny story, with great rhymes and moral messages but without being preachy- so they just absorb my osmosis that if you do good things for your friends and dont judge them on how they look, then they will do good things for you in return.

The highlight tho is my 3 year old and I booming out together "BUZZ OFF- THATS *MY* WITCH" at the dragon. Even funnier was when he reused it when his friend tried to take one of his cars !! Ha ha

Buy it, you wont regret it

"The witch had a cat and a very tall hat, and long ginger hair which she wore in a plait.", 23 Apr 2008
Its hard for me to review this book because I SO wanted to give it a 5 star rating. It has fun clear pictures and the rhyming story is easy to read and fun to tell. I really think it deserves top marks!

But my 3 year old son HATED it. He was scared of the dragon and scared of the witch! After our first reading he said to me "Mummy, I don't like that book"!

However, I do think there are a lot of children out there who WILL like it. In fact, I have purchased a copy for a friend's daughter who I know for a fact loves stories about witches.

Therefore I am giving this book 4 stars, because I like it, some children will like it, its just that my own son didn't.



Brings back childhood memories, 31 Jul 2008
I love this book! I remember it from when I was a kid, (more than 30 years ago!) I have been searching for it for ages for my 3 year old son who loves books, and he loves it too. Not sure if it has changed over the years, but it's very much the same as I remember it to be.

My toddler prefers other sing along books, 06 May 2008
My 17 month old little boy has this, along with other sing along books, he's never taken to this one.
He much prefers "the wheels on the bus", I'm not sure if it's because this book isn't very colourful.
I have to say I was pretty disappointed with it when it arrived.




Better as a song than a book, 27 Apr 2008
This is a great song for children but doesn't really work as a book. The words are crammed in so is difficult to read and very repetetive. My daughter loves all books but after two pages of this, she is ready to move on to something different.

I'd buy a CD of nursery rhymes for this song rather than buy the book.

A great book of a favourite rhyme!, 25 Apr 2008
There was an Old Lady who swallowed a fly, one of my favourite nursery rhymes ever turned into this fantastically designed book! I love the vintage style illustrations, kind of like what I used to have when I was at school. Besides the nostalgia, the real selling points are the excellent cut-away sections. As you turn each page to see what exactly the old lady swallowed, more is revealed!! Right down to the horse, with each different animal inside. Plus the Audio cd that comes with it is great for car journeys! Sing along! You know the words!

Ingenious, 21 Mar 2008
We all know the song, but who can remember all the verses? I can!
Well, not really, but with the help of this book as each new character in the tale comes into view, the words from the previous characters are all there on the opposite page viewed through the old lady's stomach. Fabulous. Very creative and great for a bedtime/anytime reader/song.

another crowd pleaser, 27 Jul 2008
Another crowd pleaser from the author and illustrator of The Gruffalo and Room on a Broom. My kids love these books. They don't ever get tired of hearing them, which is why this gets four stars. It doesn't get five because I don't like it at all. If you're looking for funny rhyming books with great illustrations I highly recommend the work of Lynley Dodd whose prolific output includes Hairy Maclary from Donaldson's Dairy and Slinky Malinky.

What I find most annoying about reading this book out loud is the fact that the words are squeezed to fit the fact that this is a rhyming story. The sentences just don't work, and yet the rhyme is so appealing for children that it is both memorable and immensely popular. The illustrations are good and there is lots of detail to talk about which keeps them amused and very engaged with the story.

So, great for kids, not for me.

This is a tale of a tiny snail..., 21 Jul 2008
I don't normally write reviews (laziness really!) but for this book I make an exception. My 16 month old LOVES this book. I thought he'd be a bit young for the lengthy story, but not at all, he can't get enough of it!! 4 times in a 2hour period yesterday!! Maybe that's a bad thing!? Illustrations are beautiful & the story is simple yet wonderful... it's probably my favourite book too!

Lovely story with great pictures and rhymes, 21 Jun 2008
This was an instant hit with my toddler, who was entranced by the rhymes and learned the word snail within a single read. I found myself quite moved when reading it too, especially when the snail feels small in the big beautiful world.

wallydos, 12 Jun 2008
My 2 year old son adores The Snail and the Whale as well as the Room on the Broom. We read them nearly every night. They are also fun to read as an adult compared to many other children's books that drive you potty after the 10th time!

Firm favourite, 30 Apr 2008
This is a wonderful story with lovely illustrations which my son has enjoyed from age 1. He repeats the words and loves looking at the pictures and talking about all the things going on and naming all the animals etc. It's an uplifting story with a world view which makes the point that everyone has a place in the world, no matter how small.

wonderful, 06 Aug 2008
It's great.

Buy it.

Your kids will love it.

Excellent, 22 May 2008
I bought this book based on a recent poll of top books for children and I was not disappointed. At the time my daughter was 14 months old and so I was a little concerned it would be too old for, how wrong could I be. The first time I read it to her was the first time she sat through a whole book. She then urged me to read it twice more.
It is now a firm family favourite and I have sent many copies to friends and family as gifts.

GREAT STUFF!, 02 May 2008
Characters:
Mouse - he is the main character. He saves himself from being eaten very cleverly.
Fox, Owl and Snake: these three animals are the ones who try to eat the little creature by inviting him back to their individual homes but they become more frightened of him then he is of them...
The Gruffalo - he is an imagination of Mouse; he is also the one who stops Mouse from getting eaten by the several different dangerous animals.

Settings:
The story is set in three parts of the deep dark wood: the first is near the rocks where he meets Fox. The second is by the stream where he bumps into Owl and the final setting is by the lake, where he encounters Snake.

Plot:
Mouse is going to be lunch for three dangerous creatures but he manages to scare them off...

Rating: I would rate it 7/10.
Recommendation: young children aged 4 - 7 and older people to read to them.

Fantastic, 31 Mar 2008
I bought this for my brother who turns 3 next week and he absolutely loves it! He asked me to read it over and over.
The illustrations are fabulous, nice bright colours and he loved how rhymey the book was.
I have to say this is my favourite children's book at the moment. It's a must have!

A must for any 3-5 yr old, 02 Feb 2008
This is one of the children's favourites at the nursery i work at, and my fav!
The characters are beautifully illustrated and the story is very clever and not in the slightest bit scary. It helps children to pick up and understand rhyme and the story is just a pleasure to read.
Highly reccomend as a must have!

Keeps them occupied, 15 Aug 2008
The Very Hungry Caterpillar is a great little book. It keeps my daughter occupied for hours on end. Just a quick flick through it is enough to convince any adult that a small child will like it. Simplistic, enjoyable and charming. And actually quite funny.
Well recommended for very small kids.

Little ones just love it!, 07 Jul 2008
I remembered this book from when I was young so I decided to buy the board book version for my toddler daughter.
The smaller board book fits comfortably in her little hands and she adores paging through it, watching all that the little caterpillar eats (even the sad caterpillar face with a stomachache makes me smile)
My daughter reads it over and over again. It's a classic and a firm favorite in our home.

Fabulous, 21 Mar 2008
Fabulous story, beautifully and ingeniously illustrated.
The story of a week in the life of a caterpillar, from egg to cocoon to fully fledged butterfly, as it chomps its way through various foods in an attempt to satisfy it's insatiable appetite.
Lovely story and the visible holes the caterpillar makes in the various foods, one hole for day one, two for day two and so on, bring the story to life.
Highly recommended as a bedtime/anytime reader.

A classic book for 2 generations of our family!, 20 Mar 2008
This book about the greedy caterpillar was my younger brother's favourite when he was a child. He always found it very funny when the caterpillar got fat after eating all the food. Whilst I was pregnant with my son, I discovered that you could get this in a board book version, so I didn't hesitate to buy it (even though my Mum still has the paperback version in the loft). I'm glad I went for this because my son would have tore the pages out otherwise.
I had read it to my son as a young baby and he wasn't that interested. Then they had a fancy dress day at his nursery for World Book Day and I dressed him as a caterpillar and sent him with this book. I read the book to him and he just loves it now too. (I am sick of it personally, because I had to read it so many times!). I would heartily recommend it.

A book that needs no formal introduction, 28 Jan 2008
due to its popularity with nursery and primary school-children.

In a nutshell, it is about a newly hatched, tiny caterpillar who munches his way through a variety of foods, becoming bigger and bigger, until he isn't hungry anymore and is a big, fat caterpillar!

From the back cover:-
'A much-loved classic, `The Very Hungry Caterpillar' has won over millions of readers with its vivid and colourful collage illustrations and its deceptively simple, hopeful story.
With its die-cut pages and finger-sized holes to explore, this is a richly satisfying book for children.'

Large paperback with 28 high quality pages, in the popular 2-page spread format.
Bold, easy to follow text,repetitive in places.
Stunning illustrations, complete with holes to emphasise the hunger, introducing days of the week, fruits and a simple number game through what he eats when!

Example of text:-
'On Monday he ate through one apple.
But he was still hungry.
On Tuesday he ate through two pears, but he was still hungry.
On Wednesday he ate though three plums, but he was still hungry.
On Thursday he ate through four strawberries, but he was still hungry.......'

On Saturday, he eats so much he has a stomachache....but puts it right on Sunday, when he only nibbles through a nice green leaf!
Then he builds a cocoon and stays inside for over two weeks.............and an amazing thing happens!

Rubbish!!, 28 Aug 2008
I bought this book on the strength of the great reviews it has had but it is terrible. It only has three pages with the pictures of mum, dad and baby that you see on the front cover. That is it! The pictures have black/white/yellow decorations around them that my daughter looked at briefly but an absolute waste of money!

a total hit!, 16 Aug 2008
my 3 month old granddaughter was captivated by this book from the second she saw it. I was doubtful when I first saw the book 'in the flesh' that it would hold her attention for long. It is extremely short and very simplistic, but she was (and still is) mesmerized by it. She stares intently at the patterns and smiles back at the faces. The crunchy sounds she is rewarded with when trying to grab at the pictures or chew the pages are an added bonus. This looks like being a favourite for quite some time

my 3 month old likes this book a lot, 11 Aug 2008
My baby boy seems to really like this book and has been fascinated by it from 3 months old. It will actually stop him crying. He looks at it for much longer than the cot book of a similar design. Money well spent.

Not to all tastes - over-rated, 10 Aug 2008
I bought this for my eight week old son and to be quite frank he isn't really interested in it. I was pleased to read another reviewer with the same issue because the over-whelming response seems to be that this book is wonderful. If you have a content baby, it will be brilliant. If you have an alert baby (translation hardly sleeps, cries a lot, needs constant stimulation) then this is not the book for them. I am sure he will enjoy chewing it but the pages did not hold a lot of interest for him.

absolutely rubbish , 03 Aug 2008
I am a busy mother of a four month old baby but I must write to let people know that this book is not great for every baby. I bought it after reading all the raving reviews on this site and I really do not know what they are talking about. My munchkin took one look at the book and ignored it. I kept trying to stoke her interest (and still periodically try) but to zero avail. Anything else is more interesting than this book. What's more I met another mother who felt exactly the same. So there are more of us out there in silent solidarity!

Aliens Love Underpants, 07 Aug 2008
Colourful, funny, vibrant - fantastic book for the under 5's
It's follow-up Dinosaurs love underpants is also great, my son loves choosing which pair of pants he's going to wear from the inside cover, a lot of imagination, thought and effort has gone into these books.
One to add for sure!

PANTS are always great!!, 11 Jul 2008
This book is great, I read it to my year 6 class and they hooted with laughter, who said picture books aren't good fro older kids.
We even then did some work on this in our book week.
Good stuff, it would even make a good adult toilet book!!

Good fun, 25 Jun 2008
My three year old son thinks this book is hilarious. Lots of chuckles and silliness with pants and aliens, all good topics for little boys.

brilliant!, 23 Jun 2008
My little boy is only 7 months and he loves it already. He coos and gurgles at the brightly coloured pictures and loves me reading the rhyming story to him. I'm sure it'll be a firm favourite for years to come.

Hilarious, 03 Jun 2008
Purchased this for class of 3-5 yr olds to link in with topic on Outer Space. The children love the title and laughed from the start. It's great to be able to introduce sometimes taboo subjects like "pants" to little ones in such a light hearted way. We had great discussions about which of the pants pictured they thought our staff members might be wearing. Their answers were hilarious. Weeks after we read it the children are still quoting from it and recalling what the aliens were doing!

Brilliant, 30 Jul 2008
My 2 year old daughter loves all of these books - very imaginative stories - great illustrations - pages contain lots of detail she really enjoys.

Top marks!, 07 Jul 2008
My daughter who is not yet two just loves this book, she finds it hard to put down and wants to read it over and over (luckily for us, Mummy and Daddy enjoy it too)
The only mistake I made though was buying the paperback version first (I didn't see the board one was available at the time) so if you are buying for smaller hands and fingers then I would suggest buying the board book first. I am going to and then put aside the paperback for when she is a bit older....as it is, this favorite isn't going to last very long in our home as my daughter would take it with her in the bath if she could!

Excellent storyline and illustrations. Top marks all round!!


Great Pre-school Reading, 06 Jul 2008
Absolutely fascinating book. My twin nieces have enjoyed this from the age of three, when it was first bought for them until now, at the ripe old age of 4 years.
They love the story, the illustrations and love telling Mum & Dad what is going to happen on the next page before it is turned over !!!
This book was well worth the cost and has been excellent in every way. Highly recommended for your toddler.

Buzz off thats MY witch !!!, 04 Jul 2008
Simply fantastic.

The rhyming scheme is fantastic and the characters likeable. Even tho the witch is 'ugly' and has a big wart on her nose, she is kind and helps people and ISN'T scary.

A very funny story, with great rhymes and moral messages but without being preachy- so they just absorb my osmosis that if you do good things for your friends and dont judge them on how they look, then they will do good things for you in return.

The highlight tho is my 3 year old and I booming out together "BUZZ OFF- THATS *MY* WITCH" at the dragon. Even funnier was when he reused it when his friend tried to take one of his cars !! Ha ha

Buy it, you wont regret it

"The witch had a cat and a very tall hat, and long ginger hair which she wore in a plait.", 23 Apr 2008
Its hard for me to review this book because I SO wanted to give it a 5 star rating. It has fun clear pictures and the rhyming story is easy to read and fun to tell. I really think it deserves top marks!

But my 3 year old son HATED it. He was scared of the dragon and scared of the witch! After our first reading he said to me "Mummy, I don't like that book"!

However, I do think there are a lot of children out there who WILL like it. In fact, I have purchased a copy for a friend's daughter who I know for a fact loves stories about witches.

Therefore I am giving this book 4 stars, because I like it, some children will like it, its just that my own son didn't.



Brings back childhood memories, 31 Jul 2008
I love this book! I remember it from when I was a kid, (more than 30 years ago!) I have been searching for it for ages for my 3 year old son who loves books, and he loves it too. Not sure if it has changed over the years, but it's very much the same as I remember it to be.

My toddler prefers other sing along books, 06 May 2008
My 17 month old little boy has this, along with other sing along books, he's never taken to this one.
He much prefers "the wheels on the bus", I'm not sure if it's because this book isn't very colourful.
I have to say I was pretty disappointed with it when it arrived.




Better as a song than a book, 27 Apr 2008
This is a great song for children but doesn't really work as a book. The words are crammed in so is difficult to read and very repetetive. My daughter loves all books but after two pages of this, she is ready to move on to something different.

I'd buy a CD of nursery rhymes for this song rather than buy the book.

A great book of a favourite rhyme!, 25 Apr 2008
There was an Old Lady who swallowed a fly, one of my favourite nursery rhymes ever turned into this fantastically designed book! I love the vintage style illustrations, kind of like what I used to have when I was at school. Besides the nostalgia, the real selling points are the excellent cut-away sections. As you turn each page to see what exactly the old lady swallowed, more is revealed!! Right down to the horse, with each different animal inside. Plus the Audio cd that comes with it is great for car journeys! Sing along! You know the words!

Ingenious, 21 Mar 2008
We all know the song, but who can remember all the verses? I can!
Well, not really, but with the help of this book as each new character in the tale comes into view, the words from the previous characters are all there on the opposite page viewed through the old lady's stomach. Fabulous. Very creative and great for a bedtime/anytime reader/song.

another crowd pleaser, 27 Jul 2008
Another crowd pleaser from the author and illustrator of The Gruffalo and Room on a Broom. My kids love these books. They don't ever get tired of hearing them, which is why this gets four stars. It doesn't get five because I don't like it at all. If you're looking for funny rhyming books with great illustrations I highly recommend the work of Lynley Dodd whose prolific output includes Hairy Maclary from Donaldson's Dairy and Slinky Malinky.

What I find most annoying about reading this book out loud is the fact that the words are squeezed to fit the fact that this is a rhyming story. The sentences just don't work, and yet the rhyme is so appealing for children that it is both memorable and immensely popular. The illustrations are good and there is lots of detail to talk about which keeps them amused and very engaged with the story.

So, great for kids, not for me.

This is a tale of a tiny snail..., 21 Jul 2008
I don't normally write reviews (laziness really!) but for this book I make an exception. My 16 month old LOVES this book. I thought he'd be a bit young for the lengthy story, but not at all, he can't get enough of it!! 4 times in a 2hour period yesterday!! Maybe that's a bad thing!? Illustrations are beautiful & the story is simple yet wonderful... it's probably my favourite book too!

Lovely story with great pictures and rhymes, 21 Jun 2008
This was an instant hit with my toddler, who was entranced by the rhymes and learned the word snail within a single read. I found myself quite moved when reading it too, especially when the snail feels small in the big beautiful world.

wallydos, 12 Jun 2008
My 2 year old son adores The Snail and the Whale as well as the Room on the Broom. We read them nearly every night. They are also fun to read as an adult compared to many other children's books that drive you potty after the 10th time!

Firm favourite, 30 Apr 2008
This is a wonderful story with lovely illustrations which my son has enjoyed from age 1. He repeats the words and loves looking at the pictures and talking about all the things going on and naming all the animals etc. It's an uplifting story with a world view which makes the point that everyone has a place in the world, no matter how small.

wonderful, 06 Aug 2008
It's great.

Buy it.

Your kids will love it.

Excellent, 22 May 2008
I bought this book based on a recent poll of top books for children and I was not disappointed. At the time my daughter was 14 months old and so I was a little concerned it would be too old for, how wrong could I be. The first time I read it to her was the first time she sat through a whole book. She then urged me to read it twice more.
It is now a firm family favourite and I have sent many copies to friends and family as gifts.

GREAT STUFF!, 02 May 2008
Characters:
Mouse - he is the main character. He saves himself from being eaten very cleverly.
Fox, Owl and Snake: these three animals are the ones who try to eat the little creature by inviting him back to their individual homes but they become more frightened of him then he is of them...
The Gruffalo - he is an imagination of Mouse; he is also the one who stops Mouse from getting eaten by the several different dangerous animals.

Settings:
The story is set in three parts of the deep dark wood: the first is near the rocks where he meets Fox. The second is by the stream where he bumps into Owl and the final setting is by the lake, where he encounters Snake.

Plot:
Mouse is going to be lunch for three dangerous creatures but he manages to scare them off...

Rating: I would rate it 7/10.
Recommendation: young children aged 4 - 7 and older people to read to them.

Fantastic, 31 Mar 2008
I bought this for my brother who turns 3 next week and he absolutely loves it! He asked me to read it over and over.
The illustrations are fabulous, nice bright colours and he loved how rhymey the book was.
I have to say this is my favourite children's book at the moment. It's a must have!

A must for any 3-5 yr old, 02 Feb 2008
This is one of the children's favourites at the nursery i work at, and my fav!
The characters are beautifully illustrated and the story is very clever and not