The Crunching Munching Caterpillar - Softcover

Sheridan Cain was born in London where she also went to school. She now lives in the east of England. She is an avid gardener and the many small creatures who visit her garden are an inspiration for her children's books. Jack Tickle likes painting in acrylic because when he spills coffee and food on his pictures, he can wipe them clean again! He likes to eat gingerbread men and chocolate biscuits while he paints and he listens to loud guitar music or Radio 4. Mr Tickle lives in South West England with his family and a large biscuit barrel.

PreSchool-K-Admiring the airborne abilities of Bumblebee, Sparrow, and Butterfly, Caterpillar longs for wings of his own. "Too big to fly," the insect sadly spends his days eating and wishing. Like that other hungry caterpillar, Cain's main character crunches and munches through the book, and then falls asleep to awaken blissfully transformed into a butterfly. Much like his illustrations for Isobel Finn's The Very Lazy Ladybug (Tiger Tales, 2001), Tickle's cartoon artwork features bright colors and large, bold images. The energetic pages are filled with sweet-faced, stylized creatures. Different fonts are used to reflect the action of the story. Attentive listeners may note that Sparrow would be more likely to eat Caterpillar than encourage him, yet most young children will not notice this less-than-realistic detail. Although this tale is not highly original, Cain's simple language and Tickle's engaging illustrations make it acceptable for sharing in a group or individually.
Piper L. Nyman, Fairfield/Suisun Community Library, Fairfield, CA
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.