The Very Hungry Caterpillar

In the warm moonlight, a tiny egg lay on a green leaf.

It was a very small egg, hardly bigger than a speck of dust. The leaf was soft and cozy, a perfect bed for the little egg. One sunny Sunday morning, pop!

Out of the egg came a tiny, very hungry caterpillar. His name was Charlie. He looked around with his little eyes. The world was big and green and full of interesting smells.

Charlie was very, very hungry. He felt a little rumble in his tummy. He wanted to find something yummy to eat. So, he started to look for food, wiggling his way across the big green leaf.

On Monday, Charlie found a shiny red apple. He took a big bite. Munch, munch, munch! He ate right through the apple.

But he was still a little bit hungry. On Tuesday, he found two juicy green pears. He took a big bite of the first one. Munch, munch, munch!

Then he took a big bite of the second one. Munch, munch, munch! He ate right through both pears. But he was still a little bit hungry.

On Wednesday, he found three sweet purple plums. He ate right through the first plum. Munch, munch, munch! Then the second plum.

Munch, munch, munch! And the third plum. Munch, munch, munch! But he was still a little bit hungry.

On Thursday, he found four ripe red strawberries. He ate right through the first strawberry. Munch, munch, munch! Then the second.

Munch, munch, munch! The third. Munch, munch, munch! And the fourth.

Munch, munch, munch! But he was still a little bit hungry. On Friday, he found five bright orange oranges. He ate right through the first orange.

Munch, munch, munch! Then the second. Munch, munch, munch! The third.

Munch, munch, munch! The fourth. Munch, munch, munch! And the fifth.

Munch, munch, munch! But he was still a little bit hungry. On Saturday, Charlie ate even more!

He ate through a piece of chocolate cake, a scoop of ice cream, a pickle, a slice of Swiss cheese, a slice of salami, a lollipop, a piece of cherry pie, a sausage, a cupcake, and a slice of watermelon.

Oh, what a tummy ache Charlie had that night! The next day was Sunday again. Charlie ate through one nice green leaf. After that, he felt much better.

He wasn't hungry anymore. In fact, he felt very, very full. And very, very sleepy. He found a quiet, cozy branch.

It was just the right spot. He started to build a small house around himself.

It was a snug little house, made of silk, called a cocoon. He snuggled inside, feeling safe and warm.

He knew he would sleep for a very long time. For more than two weeks, Charlie slept inside his cocoon. He was not hungry, and he was not sleepy. He was just resting, waiting for something wonderful to happen.

Then, one day, he wiggled and pushed.

And out he came! But he wasn't a little caterpillar anymore. He was a big, beautiful butterfly!

His wings were bright and colorful, with shades of red, blue, and yellow. He fluttered his new wings gently, feeling the soft air. The beautiful butterfly flew from flower to flower, dancing in the sunlight. But as the sun began to set, and the stars began to twinkle, the butterfly started to feel a little sleepy.

He found a lovely, soft flower, just the right size for him to rest on. He folded his beautiful wings and closed his eyes, drifting off to sleep under the gentle gaze of the moon and stars. Goodnight, beautiful butterfly. Sweet dreams.