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The Very Hungry Caterpillar's First Poems

Author Charles Ghigna
Illustrated by Eric Carle
Ebook
Penguin Young Readers | World of Eric Carle
On sale Feb 17, 2026 | 28 Pages | 9798217143863
Up to Preschool
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Introduce young readers to poetry with The Very Hungry Caterpillar in the first-ever collection of original poems from the World of Eric Carle!

Caterpillar’s Wish
I made a little wish
on the first star in the sky.
I wished that I could turn into—
a big blue butterfly!

This tender collection of first poems invites young readers into the world of poetry. Featuring Eric Carle’s beloved artwork and twelve original poems by award-winning poet Charles Ghigna (Father Goose), this keepsake casebound board book is perfect for little ones and their families to read and enjoy together.
Charles Ghigna - Father Goose® lives in a treehouse in the middle of Alabama. He is the author of more than 100 books from Random House, Disney, Hyperion, Scholastic, Simon & Schuster, Time Inc.and other publishers. He has written more than 5,000 poems for children and adults that have appeared in anthologies, newspapers and magazines ranging from The New Yorker and Harper’s to Highlights and Cricket magazines. He served as poet-in-residence and chair of creative writing at the Alabama School of Fine Arts, instructor of creative writing at Samford University, poetry editor ofEnglish Journal for the National Council of Teachers of English, and as a nationally syndicated poetry feature writer for Tribune Media Services. He speaks at schools, conferences, libraries, and literary events throughout the U.S. and overseas, and has read his poems at The Library of Congress, The John F. Kennedy Center, American Library in Paris, American School in Paris, and the International Schools of South America. For more information, visit his website at FatherGoose.com View titles by Charles Ghigna
© Penguin Random House
Born in the United States, Eric Carle was taken as a six-year-old child by his parents back to their native country, Germany. Later, he studied at the Akademie der Bildenden Künste (Academy of Applied Arts) in Stuttgart, and returned to New York in his early twenties as a graphic designer and artist. His many picture books are now known and loved by children around the world.
 
In 2002, Eric and his late wife, Barbara, opened The Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art, in Amherst, Massachusetts, where the works of distinguished picture book artists, nationally and internationally acclaimed, are exhibited in three spacious galleries.

Eric Carle passed away in 2021, at the age of 91. View titles by Eric Carle

About

Introduce young readers to poetry with The Very Hungry Caterpillar in the first-ever collection of original poems from the World of Eric Carle!

Caterpillar’s Wish
I made a little wish
on the first star in the sky.
I wished that I could turn into—
a big blue butterfly!

This tender collection of first poems invites young readers into the world of poetry. Featuring Eric Carle’s beloved artwork and twelve original poems by award-winning poet Charles Ghigna (Father Goose), this keepsake casebound board book is perfect for little ones and their families to read and enjoy together.

Author

Charles Ghigna - Father Goose® lives in a treehouse in the middle of Alabama. He is the author of more than 100 books from Random House, Disney, Hyperion, Scholastic, Simon & Schuster, Time Inc.and other publishers. He has written more than 5,000 poems for children and adults that have appeared in anthologies, newspapers and magazines ranging from The New Yorker and Harper’s to Highlights and Cricket magazines. He served as poet-in-residence and chair of creative writing at the Alabama School of Fine Arts, instructor of creative writing at Samford University, poetry editor ofEnglish Journal for the National Council of Teachers of English, and as a nationally syndicated poetry feature writer for Tribune Media Services. He speaks at schools, conferences, libraries, and literary events throughout the U.S. and overseas, and has read his poems at The Library of Congress, The John F. Kennedy Center, American Library in Paris, American School in Paris, and the International Schools of South America. For more information, visit his website at FatherGoose.com View titles by Charles Ghigna
© Penguin Random House
Born in the United States, Eric Carle was taken as a six-year-old child by his parents back to their native country, Germany. Later, he studied at the Akademie der Bildenden Künste (Academy of Applied Arts) in Stuttgart, and returned to New York in his early twenties as a graphic designer and artist. His many picture books are now known and loved by children around the world.
 
In 2002, Eric and his late wife, Barbara, opened The Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art, in Amherst, Massachusetts, where the works of distinguished picture book artists, nationally and internationally acclaimed, are exhibited in three spacious galleries.

Eric Carle passed away in 2021, at the age of 91. View titles by Eric Carle

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