Did you know...

The Very Hungry Caterpillar was inspired by a hole punch? The author Eric Carle was working in an ad agency in the late 1960s and bored one day, he started fooling around with his office supplies. The book is approaching its 52nd birthday this year, and a copy of it is sold somewhere in the world every minute. Its spare text and emphasis on graphic design were inspired by Carle's work with another talented children's author, Bill Martin.

When Carle was asked what he thought made the book so popular, he said, "My guess is it's a book of hope. That you, an insignificant...little caterpillar can grow up and eventually unfold your talent and fly into the world... That might be part of its success."