Who wrote the children's book 'The Very Hungry Caterpillar'?

Eric Carle wrote the children’s book “The Very Hungry Caterpillar.”

Carle also designed and illustrated the picture book, which was published in 1969. Its simple story follows a caterpillar eating through a changing menu of foods before forming a chrysalis and emerging as a butterfly. The book teaches early concepts such as counting, the days of the week, food vocabulary, and the stages of metamorphosis.

The idea began as a story called “A Week with Willi the Worm.” Carle had been inspired by a hole punch, whose circular marks suggested a worm eating through a book. His editor, Ann Beneduce, encouraged him to replace the worm with a caterpillar, a more appealing character for young readers. Carle’s distinctive collage illustrations and the book’s cut-through pages became part of its identity.

A common mix-up is crediting the book only to its illustrator. Carle was both author and illustrator. First published in the United States, the book became an international bestseller, selling more than 50 million copies and appearing in dozens of languages.