はらぺこあおむし

About the book

はらぺこあおむし is the Japanese edition of Eric Carle's The Very Hungry Caterpillar, translated by Hisashi Mori and published by Kaiseisha. The Japanese edition first appeared in 1976; the edition in print today is the revised (改訂) edition of February 1989, according to the National Diet Library. It is a 22 × 30 cm, 25-page hardcover, and 2026 marks the 50th anniversary of the Japanese edition.

The story and what makes it special

A very small caterpillar hatches hungry, eats more and more each day, grows big and then changes. The book is known for its die-cut holes where the caterpillar has eaten through, pages of different widths and Carle's bright painted-paper collage. Counting and the days of the week are woven in naturally.

Recommended age

Publisher states

3歳から

NIPIKO Books suggests

1–5 yrs

Publisher's label: 「3歳から」 (from age 3). NIPIKO Books's suggestion: about 1 to 5 when shared with an adult. One- and two-year-olds enjoy the colours and holes; three- to five-year-olds get the counting, the days of the week and the transformation.

Reading-together ideas

• Let your child push a finger through each hole and count the foods together.
• On the days-of-the-week pages, say each day in your home language too, or point to a calendar.
• Afterwards, hunt for caterpillars or butterflies in a park, or look at pictures of a butterfly's life cycle.