The Very Hungry Caterpillar

Eric Carle Philomel

Here’s a perfect example of a book with staying power. Published last month in a limited anniversary edition with a shiny metallic cover, the tale of a caterpillar eating its way through various fruits — and leaving holes just right for tiny fingers to explore — before turning into a stunning butterfly has entranced preschoolers for 50 years now. A note from the author/illustrator, who is approaching 90 himself, appears alongside the title page, and this anniversary edition also includes an afterword from Dolly Parton, who long ago included this title in her Imagination Library project, as well as four pages describing the book’s origins (it started out as a story titled A Week With Willi Worm). For ages 2 to 5.