The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle is a book that’s all about the dangers of overeating. It’s star, the caterpillar who is so very hungry, starts out his week eating fruit and ends up with a stomach ache after eating all the wrong things. More than 17,500 copies of the book will be sent to pediatricians’ offices all over America to promote the new Eating Healthy, Growing Strong campaign that has been launched by the Alliance for a Healthier Generation and the American Academy of Pediatrics. The books will come with growth charts and reading guide handouts that encourage parents and doctors to talk about healthy eating early with kids.
“Parents and doctors both play an enormously important role in ensuring children develop healthy eating habits early on in life,” said President Bill Clinton, founder of the William J. Clinton Foundation, a founding organization of the Alliance for a Healthier Generation along with the American Heart Association. “By joining with the American Academy of Pediatrics and the classic children’s brand ‘The Very Hungry Caterpillar,’ we are starting a dialogue between parents and doctors that will go beyond the waiting room and into the home, enabling 21 million children to make more nutritious choices and lead healthier lives.”
“I’m so pleased that my caterpillar can help to promote healthy eating in the fight against childhood obesity, and I hope “The Very Hungry Caterpillar” will be a happy reminder for children to grow healthy and spread their strong wings, like the butterfly in my book,” author Eric Carle told AOL Health.
