I have a very vivid memory of reading my little sister The Very Hungry Caterpillar as a kid, so when I came across this post on UnBeige about the fact that the book is turning 40, it made me kind of nostalgic for the day’s when I could finish a book in one sitting. Or even one month. (Let it be noted that a commute that involves the overly crowded L train doesn’t do much toward putting a dent in the pile of books on one’s bedside table.)
But anyway, back to TVHC. There are a few things that UnBeige points out that we know are true but find hard to believe:
1. The book has sold more than 12 million copies. Isn’t that insane? I mean, not as crazy as Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows selling 8.3 million books in its first 24 hours on sale, but still, a really big deal.
2. The author, Eric Carle, is 80. He has a blog and he’s really adorable in a I wish this man was my gramps way.
3. This was originally a book about “a morbidly obese worm.”
UnBeige also says that there’s a newly-released “hardcover pop-up version of The Very Hungry Caterpillar,” which makes sense from a marketing perspective, but I prefer my old school copy, without all of the bells and whistles, thank you very much. And while we’re on the topic and I’m sharing, are there any other random reads from your childhood that get you a little choked up when you come across them?