The Very Impatient Caterpillar (a Very Impatient Caterpillar Book) - by Ross Burach (Hardcover)

About the Book

This clever send-up of every child's biggest challenge--being patient!--is a STEM-friendly, laugh-out-loud comedy about metamorphosis. Full color.r.

Book Synopsis

This clever send-up of every child's biggest challenge--being patient!--is a STEM-friendly, laugh-out-loud comedy about metamorphosis.

"Will delight fans of Mo Willems's "Pigeon" series... absolutely charming." -- School Library Journal

"Super-charged." -- The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books, starred review

"HEY! What are you guys doing?"

"We're going to metamorphosize."

"Meta-WHAT-now?"

"Transform into butterflies."

"Right. Right. I knew that... WAIT?! You're telling me I can become a BUTTERFLY?"

"Yes."

"With wings?"

"Yes."

"Wait for ME!!"

Ross Burach's hilarious, tongue-in-cheek exploration of metamorphosis will make you flutter with glee, while also providing real facts about how caterpillars transform into butterflies.

Review Quotes

Awards and Distinctions for The Very Impatient Caterpillar:

2018/2019 Kid Lit TV morning Book Club Best Books of the School Year

2019 SLJ list of Picture Book Readalouds

2019 TODAY.com Best Gift for 3 year-olds

2019-2020 Florida Sunshine State Jr. Reader List

2020 North Carolina Children's Book Award Masterlist

2020 Gryphon Award Honor

2020 Indiana Read Alouds Too Good to Miss Masterlist

2020 Read Aloud Indiana Book Award List

2020 Michigan Mitten Award Top Ten Title

2021 Pennsylvania Young Reader's Choice Masterlist

2021-22 Arkansas Diamond Primary Award Nominee

2021-22 South Carolina Book Award Masterlist: Picture Book Category

2022 South Carolina Book Awards Reading List

"Will delight fans of Mo Willems's "Pigeon" series... absolutely charming." --School Library Journal

* "Chunky characters, livid green and thickly outlined for easy group sharing, and speech-bubble dialogue make this a good choice for read aloud[s] with a histrionic bent... There's definitely some science lurking here among the laughs, and preschool and primary classrooms can jumpstart the life cycle units with this super-charged title." -- The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books, starred review

"Burach chronicles this miracle of nature in cartoon scenes as loud as the rapid patter... It won't be just adults chuckling at the interactions between the title character and its patiently pupating companions." -- Kirkus Reviews

"Burach's mixed-media digital artwork makes good use of the cartoon style to depict vibrantly colored caterpillars and the protagonist's overwrought emotions. Particularly humorous are the spot drawings showing the inside of the chrysalis, in which he rails against the measured pace of nature... a good choice for science edutainment." -- Booklist

Praise for Truck Full of Ducks:

"Burach will have readers quacking up, both with the frequent repetition of the title -- 'Did you call for a truck full of ducks?' is a funny line no matter how often it's read or heard -- and over the illustrations... Sight gags and side comments in the pictures add further yuks to this ducky delight." -- Booklist

"Children will delight in the extreme silliness of this story and will repeatedly pore over the detailed, colorful, and quirky illustrations." -- School Library Journal

"Burach tells his story entirely through dialogue, packing it -- and his exuberant, crayon-like digital illustrations -- with visual jokes [and] an abundance of funny details to discover in each scene." -- Publishers Weekly

"Silly details decorate every spread... Storytime audiences will quack up." -- Kirkus Reviews

​​​​​​Praise for Billy Bloo Is Stuck in Goo, illustrated by Ross Burach:

2018 CBC Children's Choice Book Awards Finalist

"Begs to be read aloud... Gleeful, errant nonsense." -- Kirkus Reviews

"Plenty to linger (and laugh) over." -- Publishers Weekly

"Lots of giggles and goo, and weird characters too, in this rhyming cumulative storytime read-aloud, make this title a must-have for picture book collections." -- School Library Journal

About the Author

Ross Burach is the creator of the riotously funny Very Impatient Caterpillar series that includes The Very Impatient Caterpillar; The Little Butterfly That Could; Goodnight, Butterfly; and Make Way for Butterfly. All the books combine humor with curriculum-friendly science topics and relatable social-emotional themes. Ross's other acclaimed books include the picture book Truck Full of Ducks, the board books I Love My Tutu Too!, Potty All-Star, Hi-Five Farm!, and Hi-Five Animals!, named the best board book of the year by Parents Magazine, and the Acorn early reader series Bumble and Bee. He also illustrated Audrey Perrott's Moo Hoo and Baa Haa. His most recent title is How NOT to Make a Jelly Sandwich. Ross lives with his family in Brooklyn, New York. You can visit him online at rossburach.com.