Reading Log/Dialogue with Kid of The very Hungry Caterpillar

The very Hungry Caterpillar is about a caterpillar who ate food everyday and became a butterfly at the end. It teaches kids names of the food, sizes, days of a week, and numbers. It is easy for kids to learn and even sing (there is a similar song called Herman the worm). I read this book to kid when she was just 3 years old, and she understood the book well. I taught her Sunday through Saturday, asked her telling me the names of what the caterpillar ate, and let her count the numbers of the food.

Here are the our dialogues.

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The Very Hungry Caterpillar

A= Adult, D=Daughter

A: I borrowed a book from the library. It is called The very Hungry Caterpillar. See the cover, the caterpillar looks cute. Shall we read together?

D: Yes.

(reading…)

D: Why does this caterpillar look so green? Not pink? (Kids always have unexpected questions ~~)

A: Most caterpillars live on the plants, hiding under the leaves. Color green can protect them from being found by predators. If it is pink, it will easily be found by birds and will be eaten.

D: OK.

A: On Monday, the caterpillar ate through an apple.

D: Why does the caterpillar eat through an apple, not swallow the whole apple? Herman the worm swallowed one grape.

A: Maybe because the grape is small, so Herman the worm can swallow it. The apple is too big so the caterpillar can only eat through.

D: Then why can’t he finish the whole apple? He is still hungry.

A: Yes, the caterpillar wastes food. Is it good or bad?

D: It is bad.

A: Are you going to follow his example?

D: No, I will not waste food.

A: Good. Let’s continue.

(continue to read…)

A: On Saturday, the caterpillar ate through …

D: Wow, he ate through a lot of food. But why could he eat cake first?

A: This is just a list of the food he ate through, not in order. You should always eat meals first, then desert, right?

D: Yes.

A: Which caterpillar is bigger? Before he ate through all those food or after?

D: After, of course.

A: See, if you eat enough, you will grow up, too.

D: But it was so fat. I do not want to be so fat.

A: That is because he ate too much desert. If you eat enough nutritious food, you will grow up but not too fat.

D: OK.

(finish reading the whole book)

A: Do you remember what the caterpillar ate on Monday?

D: I do not know.

A (turn the book to the first page): I forgot, too. Let me check. Oh, he ate through an apple!

(go through almost the whole book again)

A: Can you count how many items he ate through on Saturday?

D: One, two, …, ten, ten items!

A: Yeah! Do you remember what he ate through on Friday?

D: I do not know. I am tired.

A: Ok, let’s read the book tomorrow. Remember, eat nutritious food well, learn more knowledge, then you will become an excellent person one day, just like the caterpillar turned into a butterfly!

D: OK, I know.