The Very Hungry Caterpillar

寶寶的第一本經典圖畫書！

鑽進鑽出、毛毛蟲忙得不得了，一個洞、二個洞、三個洞…… 一口接一口、不停地吃吃吃，肥嘟嘟的，牠究竟什麼時候才吃飽？

這隻毛毛蟲出自艾瑞．卡爾的筆下，拱著圓圓胖胖的身體，一路暢行無阻地從美國爬向全世界50多個國家，擁有超過3300萬個小書迷。

艾瑞．卡爾運用獨特的拼貼技巧，讓色彩不單單只是鮮豔，更能讓孩子看到大自然多層次的美，如毛毛蟲身上的綠，絕對不是坊間單一層次的綠所能比擬的。除此之外，艾瑞．卡爾擅長在豐富的童趣中，展現對生命的讚嘆，當毛毛蟲一路吃啊吃、最後蛻變成美麗的蝴蝶時，生命的可貴多麼令人喜悅。正如《遇見圖畫書百年經典》中彭懿所說的：「這是一本充滿了詩情與創意的圖畫書。說詩意，你看，綠葉、大地、蝴蝶、五彩繽紛的果實、清輝四射的月亮、炙熱似火的太陽……作者如同一個激情洋溢的詩人，用奔放不羈而又濃烈絢麗的顏色，為孩子們唱出了一首生命的禮讚」。

在這個歡樂的成長故事裡，寶寶可以把自己想像成毛毛蟲和書互動，在認識毛毛蟲蛻變成蝴蝶的過程，也同時學到星期、數數、排序等概念。

本書魅力
．幼兒可以與毛毛蟲一起學習克服困難
．幼兒可以從大自然中學習數數　
．幼兒透過閱讀，可以學會星期的概念
．這是一個可讀的玩具書，可玩的洞洞書，讓幼兒愛不釋手
．拼貼而成的色彩無與倫比，毛毛蟲蛻變成蝴蝶的過程令人驚喜

本書中文版《好餓的毛毛蟲》由上誼出版

Born in Syracuse, New York, in 1929, Eric Carle moved with his parents to Germany when he was six years old; he was educated there, and graduated from the prestigious art school, the Akademie der bildenden Kunste, in Stuttgart. But his dream was always to return to America, the land of his happiest childhood memories. So, in 1952, with a fine portfolio in hand and forty dollars in his pocket, he arrived in New York. Soon he found a job as a graphic designer in the promotion department ofThe New York Times. Later, he was the art director of an advertising agency for many years.

One day, respected educator and author, Bill Martin Jr, called to ask Carle to illustrate a story he had written. Martin's eye had been caught by a striking picture of a red lobster that Carle had created for an advertisement.Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? was the result of their collaboration. It is still a favorite with children everywhere. This was the beginning of Eric Carle's true career. Soon Carle was writing his own stories, too. His first wholly original book was 1,2,3 to the Zoo, followed soon afterward by the celebrated classic,The Very Hungry Caterpillar.

Eric Carle's art is distinctive and instantly recognizable. His art work is created in collage technique, using hand-painted papers, which he cuts and layers to form bright and cheerful images. Many of his books have an added dimension - die-cut pages, twinkling lights as in The Very Lonely Firefly, even the lifelike sound of a cricket's song as inThe Very Quiet Cricket - giving them a playful quality: a toy that can be read, a book that can be touched. Children also enjoy working in collage and many send him pictures they have made themselves, inspired by his illustrations. He receives hundreds of letters each week from his young admirers. The secret of Eric Carle's books' appeal lies in his intuitive understanding of and respect for children, who sense in him instinctively someone who shares their most cherished thoughts and emotions.

The themes of his stories are usually drawn from his extensive knowledge and love of nature - an interest shared by most small children. Besides being beautiful and entertaining, his books always offer the child the opportunity to learn something about the world around them. It is his concern for children, for their feelings and their inquisitiveness, for their creativity and their intellectual growth that, in addition to his beautiful artwork, makes the reading of his books such a stimulating and lasting experience.

Carle says: "With many of my books I attempt to bridge the gap between the home and school. To me home represents, or should represent; warmth, security, toys, holding hands, being held. School is a strange and new place for a child. Will it be a happy place? There are new people, a teacher, classmates - will they be friendly? I believe the passage from home to school is the second biggest trauma of childhood; the first is, of course, being born. Indeed, in both cases we leave a place of warmth and protection for one that is unknown. The unknown often brings fear with it. In my books I try to counteract this fear, to replace it with a positive message. I believe that children are naturally creative and eager to learn. I want to show them that learning is really both fascinating and fun."

copyright c 2000 by Penguin Group (USA) Books