The Very Hungry Caterpillar

Author: Eric Carle
Plot Summary: A big green caterpillar is born, eats too much, and learns to eat less. Finally, very full, crawls into a cocoon and emerges as a beautiful butterfly.
Posted In: Aesthetics, Ethics

Discussion Questions

• What is beauty?
• Are the following things beautiful?
  • a sunrise
  • The Mona Lisa
  • a smile
  • a song
  • a feeling
  • a thought
  • a painting
• Can we have different ideas about what beauty is?
• What does something have to have to be beautiful? Anything?
• What does it feel like when something is beautiful to us? Is this always true?
• For something to be beautiful, does someone have to think it’s beautiful? Can something be beautiful if no one thinks it is?
• If something is beautiful, is it always beautiful?
• Do you think that the butterfly in the story was beautiful?
• Was the caterpillar more beautiful before or after is transformed?
• If the caterpillar transformed into a butterfly, is it still the same thing? Why or why not?
• Why did the caterpillar get a stomachache?
• Why do you think the caterpillar ate so much?
• What is the difference between wanting to eat and needing to eat?
• Is it worse to eat too much or too little?