[1] It has been acclaimed as "one of the greatest childhood classics of all time"[2] and praised for its "iconic" art style, featuring collage artwork and pages with holes where the caterpillar "ate" through.

[1] On an early Sunday morning, "a tiny and very hungry caterpillar" hatches from his egg and immediately begins searching for food.

For the following five days, the caterpillar eats through an increasing quantity of fruit: one apple on Monday, two pears on Tuesday, three plums on Wednesday, four strawberries on Thursday, and five oranges on Friday.

[5][6] Carle was allegedly inspired to include holes in the pages where the caterpillar had "eaten" through the various foods, by differently shaped books he had read as a child in Germany.

[1] Moreover, the book has been translated into more than 60 languages,[1] including Arabic,[9] Dutch, French,[10] Spanish,[11] German,[12] Japanese,[13] Italian,[14] Portuguese, Swedish,[15] Russian,[16] and Hebrew.

[21] Five years later, a School Library Journal survey of readers named The Very Hungry Caterpillar as the second-best children's book.

[5] In 2020, The Very Hungry Caterpillar was number ten on the list of "Top Check Outs of All Time" by the New York Public Library.

[citation needed] This book incorporates educational themes such as counting, the days of the week, foods, and a butterfly's life stages.

[1] It is frequently utilized by elementary school teachers, librarians, and parents as a teaching aid, with activities developed that complements the book.

[27] The book's predictability facilitates Oral Cloze exercises, in which an adult reader can omit a day of the week or number and the child can insert it.

[29] The format of The Very Hungry Caterpillar allows for expansion into a classroom activities,[26] where children can engage in creative practice and storytelling by inserting their own foods and drawings into each day of the week.

[26] The Very Hungry Caterpillar has met Beowulf in secondary classrooms in an effort to prompt academic and sophisticated discussion of picture books.

[30] Main reasons for integration include the universal themes of picture books and providing visual aids for comprehension.

The American Academy of Pediatrics, the CDC, philanthropic groups, and anti-obesity campaigns utilize this book to teach children about healthy eating.

[citation needed] This anthology utilized a classical music-influenced soundtrack by Wallace and Gromit and Peppa Pig composer Julian Nott.

[37] The Very Hungry Caterpillar was released on DVD on April 24, 2006, as a part of an anthology called The World of Eric Carle; it was presented by the Illuminated Film Company and broadcast by Ventura Distribution.