Review
Ten Little Caterpillars
Written by Bill Martin Jr. and illustrated by Lois Ehlert
(Beach Lane; ISBN 9781442433854; August 2011; Fall catalog p. 11)
Originally issued in 1967 with different illustrations, Martin's caterpillar counting rhyme has been given new life with gorgeous and bold watercolor collages from his Chicka Chicka Boom Boom collaborator, Ehlert. Readers can't be blamed for seeing this as a companion to Eric Carle's classic caterpillar tale--after all, the characters share membership in the Lepidoptera order and a highly stylized, vibrantly handmade aesthetic. But the similarities end there. Martin's words shape 10 vignettes, inspiring Ehlert to survey the world of backyard nature (unobtrusive labels identify flora and fauna). What's more, the 10 caterpillars are no carbon copies: each is modeled on a different species (a handsome visual glossary details feeding habits and provides examples of the butterflies or moths they eventually become). But it's the frequently unsalubrious fates of the caterpillars that are most striking. One is imprisoned in a jar ("The sixth little caterpillar was carried off to school"), three are potential meals, and only one becomes a butterfly. This is a graphically sumptuous book, but the lesson is clear: nature is one tough town.
--Publisher' Weekly, May 30 2011, starred review
* "Martin's caterpillar counting rhyme has been given new life with gorgeous and bold watercolor collages from his Chicka Chicka Boom Boom collaborator, Ehlert. Readers can't be blamed for seeing this as a companion to Eric Carle's classic caterpillar tale...a graphically sumptuous book."
--Publishers Weekly, starred review
Ten Little Caterpillars.
Martin, Bill (Author) , Ehlert, Lois (Illustrator)
Aug 2011. 40 p. Simon & Schuster/Beach Lane, hardcover, $17.99. (9781442433854).
From the accomplished creators of the classic Chicka Chicka Boom Boom (1989) comes this captivating,
rhyming offering for the lap-sit crowd. Here, Ehlert lends her signature watercolor-collage artwork to the
late Martin’s text, which was originally published in 1967. On each spread, a different caterpillar moves
through a brilliantly hued garden scene filled with flora and fauna, which are identified in small print.
Many images, such as monarchs and roses, will be familiar to kids, while others, such as cabbage looper
moths and gaillardias, will likely expand their knowledge. The action, described in large print, is easy to
imagine and will lend itself to lively read-alouds: “The first little caterpillar crawled into a bower. / The
second little caterpillar wriggled up a flower.” Notes about the posthumous provenance of the text would
have been welcome, but a final spread, featuring a countdown of each caterpillar and the butterfly it
becomes, along with a few facts, creates a pleasing end to this beautiful title, which will be a natural hit
with young children.
--BOOKLIST, July 1, 2011
"From the accomplished creators of the classic Chicka Chicka Boom Boom (1989) comes this captivating, rhyming offering for the lap-sit crowd. Here, Ehlert lends her signature watercolor-collage artwork to the late Martin’s text, which was originally published in 1967. On each spread, a different caterpillar moves through a brilliantly hued garden scene filled with flora and fauna, which are identified in small print. Many images, such as monarchs and roses, will be familiar to kids, while others, such as cabbage looper moths and gaillardias, will likely expand their knowledge...a final spread, featuring a countdown of each caterpillar and the butterfly it becomes, along with a few facts, creates a pleasing end to this beautiful title, which will be a natural hit with young children."
--Booklist, July 1, 2011
“Move over very hungry caterpillar—10 little caterpillars have arrived.
Martin’s posthumous release rests in illustrator Ehlert’s capable hands, resulting in a picture book that delivers on his reputation as a master of engaging, rhythmic, rhyming text as it presents some of Ehlert’s best work to date. Arresting jacket art introduces 10 little caterpillars munching on a verdant, heart-shaped leaf against a white background. Open, white backgrounds of interior spreads allow the collages’ vibrant colors to stand out in clean, visually dynamic spreads that invite readers to pore over the flora, other creatures and the caterpillars themselves who populate the pages. Each caterpillar from the jacket gets its own spread, with one climbing a cabbage head, another carried off to school in a jar and another falling into the sea. The 10th caterpillar, however, becomes a butterfly in a satisfying, if predictable, culmination of the verse. But wait—there’s more! Concluding pages identify each caterpillar in sequence, provide readers with information about what they eat and reveal the kinds of moths and butterflies that result from their metamorphoses.
Equal parts counting book, nature book and ideal read-aloud fodder, this is a beauty of an offering from a familiar team.”
--Kirkus Reviews, July 15, 2011, *STAR
A selection in Bill Martin’s Big Book of Poetry (S & S, 2008) is now available as a single title. In this attractive counting book with a scientific flair, 10 little caterpillars creep and crawl through gardens, vegetable patches, and apple orchards. Beginning with the first little caterpillar, who crawls into a bower, the colorful insects proceed by climbing up flower stems, sailing on fallen leaves, and avoiding predators like a hungry wren. The 10th little caterpillar hangs patiently in an apple tree until he emerges from the chrysalis as a magnificent tiger swallowtail. Each fuzzy little character represents a particular type of caterpillar. A supplementary guide to the different species, providing the name and diet of each one, along with an image of the resulting butterfly or moth, appears at the end of the book. The rhyming couplets are printed in a bold, oversize font. Ehlert’s watercolor collages, presented in the style of botanical illustrations complete with identifying labels, eloquently re-create the natural habitat of each creature. Although reminiscent of Eric Carle’s The Very Hungry Caterpillar (Philomel, 1969), this title is written for a slightly older audience. An imaginative introduction to ordinal numbers and the process of metamorphosis.–Linda L. Walkins, Mount Saint Joseph Academy, Brighton, MA
SLJ, August 2011
"In this attractive counting book with a scientific flair, 10 little caterpillars creep and crawl through gardens, vegetable patches, and apple orchards.... Ehlert’s watercolor collages, presented in the style of botanical illustrations complete with identifying labels, eloquently re-create the natural habitat of each creature.... An imaginative introduction to ordinal numbers and the process of metamorphosis."
--School Library Journal, August 2011
The jacket of this counting book (with its white background, large green leaf, and brightly colored caterpillars) should come with a disclaimer: any resemblance to a well-known picture book about a particularly voracious caterpillar is purely coincidental. More a way to organize information than the traditional counting book the title indicates, Ehlert’s (and it is the illustrations that give the book its scope) latest showcases ten members of the Lepidoptera order, mostly in lush settings that incorporate and label the flora and fauna of their habitats, whether they be a garden (with exquisite tissue-paper collage flowers) for caterpillar number two (a buckeye) or a glass jar filled with different leaves for the sixth caterpillar (a monarch). The tenth caterpillar (a tiger swallow tail) becomes a chrysalis before maturing into a beautiful butterfly, which begs the question about the fate of the other nine. The gentle rhyme (“The first little caterpillar crawled into a bower. / The second little caterpillar wriggled up a flower”) provides quiet background for the vibrant illustrations. Back matter lists each species of caterpillar shown, gives its eating habits, and presents the developed butterfly or, in the case of the woolly bear caterpillar, moth. betty carter
The Horn Book Magazine, August 2011
Martin, Jr., Bill Ten Little Caterpillars; illus. by Lois Ehlert. each Lane/Simon, 2011 6p ISBN 978-1-4424-3385-4 17.99 E-book ed. ISBN 978-1-4424-3386-1 12.99 R -7 yrs
From two classic children’s literature talents, previously partnered on Chicka Chicka Boom Boom, comes this well-crafted and informative introduction to ten different species of caterpillars, their habitats and diets, and the resulting butterflies/moths they become. Rhyming text offers a whimsical but realistic account of caterpillar life (“The third little caterpillar climbed a cabbage head/ The fourth little caterpillar found a melon bed”), concluding with the victorious transformation of the tenth caterpillar into a tiger swallowtail butterfly. True to Ehlert’s signature style, the watercolor collages are sprinkled with captions, so that flowers, bugs, plants, and other elements of nature are identified in the compositions; the final two spreads list the ten caterpillars by name, offer a single fact about their eating habits, and depict the butterflies and moths that they become. There are a lot of curricular opportunities for this attractive volume, particularly for the scads of elementary-school students who study the life cycle of a butterfly (there is a nod to such projects with the sixth caterpillar, a monarch caterpillar, who is stuck in a jar and “carried off to school”) but may not be aware of the diversity of species of caterpillars in nature. The playful rhyme and bright, bold collages make this a fine choice for either a classroom readaloud or for youngsters with a love for the natural world.
--Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books, October 2011
"In her most stunning artwork of recent memory, Ehlert's bold and bright illustrations in watercolor collage grace the book's large square pages and make the reader feel like he or she might even be able to step into the scene."
--Young Children, January 2012
About the Author
Bill Martin, Jr. (1916–2004) has been called “America’s favorite children’s author.” He wrote more than 300 books for children, including the classic texts Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?, illustrated by Eric Carle; and Chicka Chicka Boom Boom, illustrated by Lois Ehlert.
Lois Ehlert (1934–2021) created numerous inventive, celebrated, and bestselling picture books, including Chicka Chicka Boom Boom, Holey Moley, The Scraps Book, Mice, Ten Little Caterpillars, RRRalph, Lots of Spots, Boo to You!, Leaf Man, Waiting for Wings, Planting a Rainbow, Growing Vegetable Soup, and Color Zoo, which received a Caldecott Honor.
Review
* "Martin's caterpillar counting rhyme has been given new life with gorgeous and bold watercolor collages from his Chicka Chicka Boom Boom collaborator, Ehlert. Readers can't be blamed for seeing this as a companion to Eric Carle's classic caterpillar tale...a graphically sumptuous book." --Publishers Weekly, starred review
"From the accomplished creators of the classic Chicka Chicka Boom Boom (1989) comes this captivating, rhyming offering for the lap-sit crowd. Here, Ehlert lends her signature watercolor-collage artwork to the late Martin’s text, which was originally published in 1967. On each spread, a different caterpillar moves through a brilliantly hued garden scene filled with flora and fauna, which are identified in small print. Many images, such as monarchs and roses, will be familiar to kids, while others, such as cabbage looper moths and gaillardias, will likely expand their knowledge...a final spread, featuring a countdown of each caterpillar and the butterfly it becomes, along with a few facts, creates a pleasing end to this beautiful title, which will be a natural hit with young children."
--Booklist, July 1, 2011
“Move over very hungry caterpillar—10 little caterpillars have arrived.
Martin’s posthumous release rests in illustrator Ehlert’s capable hands, resulting in a picture book that delivers on his reputation as a master of engaging, rhythmic, rhyming text as it presents some of Ehlert’s best work to date. Arresting jacket art introduces 10 little caterpillars munching on a verdant, heart-shaped leaf against a white background. Open, white backgrounds of interior spreads allow the collages’ vibrant colors to stand out in clean, visually dynamic spreads that invite readers to pore over the flora, other creatures and the caterpillars themselves who populate the pages. Each caterpillar from the jacket gets its own spread, with one climbing a cabbage head, another carried off to school in a jar and another falling into the sea. The 10th caterpillar, however, becomes a butterfly in a satisfying, if predictable, culmination of the verse. But wait—there’s more! Concluding pages identify each caterpillar in sequence, provide readers with information about what they eat and reveal the kinds of moths and butterflies that result from their metamorphoses.
Equal parts counting book, nature book and ideal read-aloud fodder, this is a beauty of an offering from a familiar team.”
--Kirkus Reviews, July 15, 2011, *STAR
"In this attractive counting book with a scientific flair, 10 little caterpillars creep and crawl through gardens, vegetable patches, and apple orchards.... Ehlert’s watercolor collages, presented in the style of botanical illustrations complete with identifying labels, eloquently re-create the natural habitat of each creature.... An imaginative introduction to ordinal numbers and the process of metamorphosis."
--School Library Journal, August 2011
"In her most stunning artwork of recent memory, Ehlert's bold and bright illustrations in watercolor collage grace the book's large square pages and make the reader feel like he or she might even be able to step into the scene."
--Young Children, January 2012
--This text refers to an alternate kindle_edition edition. 
![Ten Little Caterpillars by [Bill Martin, Lois Ehlert]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51EviOZAxdL._SX260_.jpg)
