The Very Hungry Caterpillar - and more children's books in one performance

The story's all ready. There it is.

Hungry Caterpillar. I love it!

You like that story? Well, guess what?

I love it!

Guess what else I have?

A pinata.

I told my wife that I like this story, and I said, you know what would be really great if when I told the story, if the kids could actually have the caterpillar in their hand? And she said, how can you do that? And I said, you can make me a caterpillar. She said, and then she laughed, and I thought it was over. And then on my birthday, guess what I got? There he is. You want to hold that? You can pass that around. And what do you need, for those experts here who know the story of the caterpillar, what else would you need to tell the caterpillar story?

A cocoon.

A cocoon. She didn't make me— I guess this is kind of a cocoon. What else is in the story?

A butterfly.

There is a butterfly. What does he eat?

Leaves.

He does. The leaves is what make him feel good again. What else does he eat?

Chocolate. And ice cream.

He does. He eats a lot of stuff that's not good for him, makes him sick. What kind of stuff does he eat at the beginning of the story?

He eats apples!

He eats an apple! What else does he eat? A pear? He does! He eats a pear!

Daddy ate something.

Make sure you pass these things around.

Daddy eats a hole in everything.

He does? He eats a hole in everything? I don't think she made me any holes. Nope. What else? What other fruit?

Mama! Pear!

There's the pear. Oh, look at there's real apples! Yum, yum, yum. What about this one? Who knows what this is?

Strawberry.

Strawberry, very good. And what about back there? You guys want it? You know what that is?

No, grab an apple.

It's a plum. It's a plum, very good. We're going to throw the plum back there.

Wee!

And what's this one?

Orange.

Orange. It's an orange. Go that way with the orange. Oh, good job. Okay, let's read the story. The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle. What's that? You can eat the apples while you're listening to the story. For my sister Carissa. Oh, Krista. In the light of the moon, a little egg lay on a leaf. Can anyone find the egg? Can you tell me where the egg is? There it is. Very good. On Sunday morning, the warm sun came up and pop! Out of the egg came a tiny and very hungry caterpillar. Who has the caterpillar? There's the caterpillar. He's a lot bigger than this caterpillar, isn't he? Let's see if he gets bigger in the story. He started to look for some food. On Monday, he ate through one apple. Who has it? There's the apple. But he was still hungry. On Tuesday, he ate through two pears. Who has the— hey, you have all the fruit. Who has the pear? Oh, the baby with the Ruskin has the pear. Good job. But he was still hungry. You guys call them Ruskins here in Australia?

Yeah?

I did good. On Wednesday, he ate through 3 plums. Who has the plum?

Yuck!

How did she get the plum? You guys had the plum. Very good. You have the plum. But do you think he was still hungry? Yes, he was still hungry. On Thursday, Thursday, he ate through 4 strawberries. Who has the strawberry? Where is it? Oh, it's way back there. But he was still hungry. On Friday, he ate through 5 oranges. Have any of you ever eaten 5 oranges in one day?

No. Nei.

Wow. Oh, there's the orange. Good job. But he was still hungry. Look what happens on Saturday. Can everyone take a big breath with me? On Saturday, he ate through 1 piece of chocolate cake, 1 ice cream cone, 1 pickle, 1 slice of Swiss cheese, 1 slice of salami, 1 lollipop, 1 piece of cherry pie, 1 sausage, 1 cupcake, and a slice of watermelon. What do you think happened to him?

He felt sick.

That night he had a stomachache. I would too if I ate all that in one day. The next day was Sunday again. The caterpillar ate through 1 nice green apple.

Relief.

And after that, he felt much better. Oh my goodness, look at him now! He's bigger even than the one that's in your hands. Now he wasn't hungry anymore, and he wasn't a little caterpillar anymore. He was a big fat caterpillar. He built a small house called a cocoon around himself. He stayed inside for more than 2 weeks. Then he nibbled a hole in the cocoon, pushed his way out, and what do you think? He was a beautiful butterfly! How many holes do you think he ate in the last week?

1, 2, 3, 4, 5,000!

Just, yeah, quite a lot, huh? What up, Hungry Caterpillar? Okay, let's see, let's pass this around and put all the fruit back in. There's 1 piece of fruit, we'll put the caterpillar in last. Where's another piece of fruit? There's 2 pieces of fruit. Another piece of fruit? There's 3 pieces of fruit, and 4 pieces of Fruit. And the plum is 5 pieces of fruit. And then the caterpillar loves all the fruit, so we'll put him in there. Good job, just shove him in there. Very flexible. He loves that fruit. You know what, he's such a good caterpillar though, every time I open it, he hasn't eaten the fruit. It's still in there. Okay, here we go. You guys like singing? You do? Can you go like this? Pretty easy. Twinkle, twinkle, little star, how I wonder what you You are up above the earth so high, like a diamond in the sky. Twinkle, twinkle, little star, how I wonder what you are. Let's have another story. Does anyone know this story? The Very Cranky Bear. What kind of things make you cranky? Do you ever get cranky?

I love him!

Yeah?

He gets cranky.

He gets cranky? What about you? Do you get cranky?

Yes.

We're going to find out the number one thing that makes people cranky. Not just kids, even grown-ups. We all get cranky when like this, when we're— you'll see. Like this bear. The Cranky Bear. In the Jingle Jangle Jungle on a cold and rainy day, 4 little friends found a perfect place to play. Moose had marvelous antlers and Lion a golden mane. Zebra had fantastic stripes and Sheep, well, Sheep was playing. None of them had noticed that someone else was there. Sleeping in that cave was a very cranky— Bear!

Bear! Roar!

went the cranky bear.

Roar, roar, roar!

He gnashed his teeth and stomped his feet and chased them out the door. So in the Jingle Jangle Jungle on a cold and rainy day, 4 little friends had nowhere warm to play. "Wait a minute," said Zebra as she scratched her furry chin. "Maybe if we cheered him up, he'd let us come back in." "If I didn't have stripes," said Zebra. I'd be cranky too. We should give that bear some stripes, that's what we should do. Stripes are silly, Moose complained. Especially on a bear. My antlers always cheer me up. Let's give the bear a pair. No, no, no, no, said Lion. Antlers are a bore. A golden mane like mine, he said. Would cheer him up for sure. So Zebra fetched a tin of mud and Lion some grass of gold. Moose got two big branches and Sheep, well, Sheep got cold. Sheep was getting worried. They've been eaten up for sure. And then from in the cave, there came a very Cranky, roar! Zebra, Lion, and Moose ran out, and Bear was right behind them. They hid behind the bushes where they hoped he wouldn't find them. Why is he still cranky? He's got antlers, stripes, and mane. Before we gave him those, Lion said, he looked so very plain. Look at the bear, do you think he looks happy? While he was asleep, they dressed him up like all those those things. And then he woke up. As Bear stormed back inside the cave, he turned and roared at Sheep, "All I really want is a quiet place to sleep." So Sheep fetched a pair of clippers and she clipped off half her wool. She stuffed it in a cotton bag until the bag was full. She tiptoed back inside the cave 'Excuse me, Bear,' she said. 'Would you like a pillow for your underneath your head?' 'Well, thank you very much,' said Bear. And soon he fell asleep. Maybe he was dreaming of a plain but thoughtful sheep. So there you go. He was cranky because he was tired. I get cranky when I'm tired too. You guys want another story?

Yes.

Or how about a song? You guys know this story? Puff the Magic Dragon?

I love that.

You love that? Oh, I love to hear that. Stories are so much fun. This one's a song as well, so I'll sing it to you, and if you know the song, you can join in or sing in the chorus. You'll learn that fairly quickly. Puff the Magic Dragon lived by the sea and frolicked in the autumn mist in a land called Honnelly. Little Jackie Paper— there he is— loved that rascal Puff and brought him strings and sealing wax and other fancy stuff. Oh, Puff the Magic Dragon, lived by the sea and frolicked in the autumn mist in a land called Honoli'i. Honoli'i. Puff the Magic Dragon lived by the sea and frolicked in the autumn mist in a land called Honoli'i. Together they would travel on a boat with billowed sail. Jackie kept a lookout perched on Puff's gigantic tail. Noble kings and princes would bow whenever they came. Pirate ships would lower their sail when Puff roared out his name. Oh, Puff the Magic Dragon lived by the sea and frolicked in the autumn air. In a land, in a land called Honoli'i, Puff the Magic Dragon lived by the sea and frolicked in the autumn mist in a land called Honoli'i. A dragon lives forever, but not so girls and boys. Painted wings and giant's rings things make way for other toys. One gray night it happened, Jackie Paper came no more. And Puff, that mighty dragon, he ceased his fearless roar. His head was bent in sorrow, green scales fell like rain. Puff no No longer went to play along the cherry lane. Without his lifelong friend, Puff could not be brave. So Puff, that mighty dragon, sadly slipped into his cave. Oh, Puff the Magic Dragon lived by the sea. Frolicked in the autumn mist in a land called Hanahali. You notice somebody new's coming, a new person. Who do you think that might be? Puff the Magic Dragon still lives by the sea and waits beyond the autumn mist for another young Jackie. You see, that's Jackie, isn't it? Is it the same boy? Look at the front here. There's a boy in his yellow shirt and his brown pants. And there he is in his yellow shirt. Can't see if his pants are brown, but I think they are. And that's his little girl, his daughter. And he's introducing her to meet the dragon so that she can keep him alive in her imagination. Did you know you guys have, you kids have amazing imaginations? And when you make believe, you can create whole worlds. You can create dragons, you can create giants, you can create Cranky Bears, you can create all kinds of things. But as we grow up, some of us forget how to imagine things, and the dragons that we loved when we were kids, they all go away because we don't play with them anymore. So you guys keep them alive. You go and visit them again. Think about Puff the Magic Dragon, think about the Cranky Bear, think about the caterpillar. What other story should we have? Does anyone have a favorite story? I might have it in here. Oh boy. The Gruffalo. You guys know this story? Yeah, the movie? Well, I'm not a movie, but I'm live.

Here we go.

The Gruffalo by Julia Donaldson and Alex Scheffler. A mouse took a stroll through a deep dark wood. A fox saw the mouse and the mouse looked good. Where are you going to, little brown mouse? Come and have lunch in my underground house. That's terribly kind of you, Fox, but no. I'm going to have lunch with a gruffalo. A gruffalo? What's a gruffalo? A gruffalo? Why didn't you know? He has terrible tusks and terrible claws and terrible teeth in his terrible jaws. Where are you meeting him? Here, by these rocks. And his favorite food is roasted fox. "Roasted fox! I'm off!" Fox said, "Goodbye, little mouse," and away he sped. Silly old fox, doesn't he know there's no such thing as a Gruffalo? An owl saw the mouse— oh, sorry. And on went the mouse to the deep dark wood. An owl saw the mouse and the mouse looked good. "Where are you going to, little brown mouse?" Come and have tea in my treetop house. It's frightfully nice of you, Owl, but no. I'm having tea with a gruffalo. A gruffalo? What's a gruffalo? A gruffalo? Why didn't you know? He has knobbly knees and turned-out toes and a poisonous wart at the end of his nose. Why are you meeting him? "Here, by this stream. And his favorite food is owl ice cream." Owl ice cream! To hoot, to witch! Goodbye, little mouse, and away Owl flew. Silly old Owl, doesn't he know there's no such thing as a Gruffalo? On went the mouse through the deep dark wood. A snake saw the mouse and the mouse looked good. Where are you going to, little brown mouse? Come for a feast in my underground house? It's wonderfully good of you, snake, but no. I'm having a feast with a Gruffalo. A Gruffalo? What's a Gruffalo? A Gruffalo? Why didn't you know? His eyes are orange, his tongue is black, he has purple prickles all over his back. Where are you meeting him? Here, by this lake. And his favorite food is scrambled snake. Scrambled snake? It's time I hid. Goodbye, little mouse. And away Snake slid. Silly old Snake, doesn't he know there's no such thing as a gruffalo? Oh! But what is this creature with terrible claws and terrible teeth in his terrible jaws? He has knobbly knees and turned-out toes and a poisonous wart at the end of his nose. His eyes are orange and his tongue is black. He has purple prickles all over his back.

It's—

oh help! Oh no! It's a Gruffalo! My favorite food! The Gruffalo said. You'll taste nice on a slice of bread. Good? said the mouse. Don't call me good. I'm, I'm the scariest creature in this deep dark wood. Just walk behind me and soon you'll see everyone is afraid of me. All right, said the Gruffalo bursting with laughter. You go ahead and I'll follow after. They walked and walked till the Gruffalo The Gruffalo said, "I hear a hiss in the leaves ahead." "It's Snake," said the mouse. "Why, Snake, hello!" Snake took one look at the Gruffalo. "Oh crumbs," he said. "Goodbye, little mouse." Then off he slid to his logpile house. "You see," said the mouse. "I told you so." "Amazing," said the Gruffalo. They walked some more till the Gruffalo The Gruffalo said, "I hear a hoot in the trees ahead." "It's Owl," said the mouse. "Why, Owl, hello!" Owl took one look at the Gruffalo. "Oh dear," he said. "Goodbye, little mouse." And away he flew to his treetop house. "You see," said the mouse. "I told you so." "Astounding," said the Gruffalo. They walked some more. Till the Gruffalo said, "I can hear feet on the path ahead." "It's Fox," said the mouse. "Why, Fox, hello!" Fox took one look at the Gruffalo. "Oh, help!" he said. "Goodbye, little mouse!" And off he ran to his underground house. "Well, Gruffalo," said the mouse, "you see, everyone is afraid of me. But now my Tummy's starting to rumble. My favorite food is Gruffalo crumble. Gruffalo crumble, the Gruffalo said, and quick as the wind, he turned and fled. All was quiet in the deep dark wood. The mouse found a nut, and the nut was good.

The end.

You like that story? It's good fun, isn't it?

Can I have one more?

Yeah. What else could we have in here? I know, we'll have one last story, and it's going to be about this guy. Does anyone know who this is? What is it? It's a dog. Very good. So I heard it. Harry Maclary. You want to hold Harry Maclary? Harry Maclary from Donaldson's Dairy. So you guys are gonna help me tell this story because you'll learn it really quickly if you haven't heard it before. Harry Maclary from Donaldson's Dairy by Linley Dodd. Out of the gate and off Off for a walk went Harry Maclary from Donaldson's Dairy. And Hercules Morse as big as a horse.

Very good.

With Harry Maclary from Donaldson's Dairy. Bottomly pots covered in spots. Hercules Hercules Morse as big as a horse. And Harry McClary from Donaldson's Dairy. Muffin Mcclay like a bundle of hay. Bottomley Potts all covered in spots. Hercules Morse as big as a horse. And Harry McClary from Donaldson's Dairy. Blitzer Maloney all skinny and bony. Muffin Mcclay like a bundle of hay. Bottomley Potts Pots covered in spots, Hercules Morse as big as a horse, and Harry Maclary from Donaldson's Dairy. Schnitzel von Crumb with a very low tum, Blitzer Maloney all skinny and bony, Muffin MacLeigh like a bundle of hay, Bottomley Pots covered in spots, Hercules Morse as big as a horse, and Harry Maclary from Donaldson's Dairy. That's right. With tails in the air, they trotted on down past the shops and the park to the far end of town. They sniffed at the smells and they snooped at each door when suddenly out of the shadows they saw Scarface Claw, the toughest tom in town. "Meow," said Scarface Claw. Off with a yowl and a wail and a howl, a scatter of paws and a clatter of claws went Schnitzel von Crumb with a very low tummy, Glitzer Maloney all skinny and bony, Muffin Mcclay like a bundle of hay, Bottomley Potts covered in spots, and Hercules Morse as big as a—

Horse!

Horse, that's right! And Harry McClary from Donaldson's Dairy. Straight back to base. The end. I think they were scared of that big cat. Well, thank you so much for listening to my stories. Oh, thank you for Harry coming back.

Very good.

See you guys later. Have a great day and enjoy all the fun activities planned for you. You're welcome.