The Very Hungy Caterpillar by Eric Carle.
"In the light of the moon, a little egg lay on a leaf". The humble origins of the "little" egg and "tiny" caterpillar and his quest for nourishment can be seen as a metaphor for sexual growth, where desire cannot be sated until, having sampled a smörgåsbord on the Saturday comprising "one piece of chocolate cake, one ice cream cone, one pickle, one slice of Swiss cheese, one slice of salami, one lollipop, one piece of cherry pie, one sausage, one cupcake and one slice of watermelon", he can take no more and becomes a "big, fat caterpillar". The Freudian depictions of the food - and of the caterpillar himself - reinforce the metaphor: size (and shape) is everything. Previous suggestions (Catface, 2010) that the story is a literal reading of eating-overeating-transformation can be dismissed as both reductionist and essentialist. The transformation, when it does occur, deals briefly with the liminal state as a necessary transition into full awareness and power - a phallocentric triumph.

I have read this book to my child an estimated 485 times. That's about 484 times where I've had to pretend to sound enthusiastic about a bug. Don't even start me on "We're going on a motherfucking bear hunt".
( crackhouseceilidhband Fuck off back to Mumsnet, Thu 5 Jan 2012, 17:52, 6 replies)

you have my compassion and sympathies.
I'm on an endless loop of the original Thomas the Tank Engine series. God that rev. Awdry was a tedious cunt.
(Discocat is bringing sexy back, Thu 5 Jan 2012, 18:07, closed)

when my daughter was small she used to cry at the picture at the end of bear hunt.
'he only wanted to play, mummy'.
( janet aylia y'all motherfuckers need jesus, Thu 5 Jan 2012, 19:21, closed)

Swishie swooshie

( number5 has been fighting tramps and losing., Thu 5 Jan 2012, 20:19, closed)

A hearty click for you my dear...
Despite bringing back such painful memories...

Fun-song-fucking-factory
Bob-the-cunting-builder

and so on...

Honestly, it says a lot when you're rejoicing as the 'Spongebob' years' start to happen!
( Pooflake braces for an onslaught..., Thu 5 Jan 2012, 20:44, closed)

I spent three days in hospital
with my daughter when she was 2 and had broken her thigh bone. For pretty much the entire time she asked to be read "The very hungry caterpiller", "The very busy spider" and "Papa, please get the Moon for me" all by Eric Carle.

I read them so often and enthusiastically that one of the nurses nipped off and came back with a video of them and a few other stories. I still had to keep reading though.
( Cactus 1 doesn't care what you think on, Thu 5 Jan 2012, 20:48, closed)

Wait! What? There's videos?!

( crackhouseceilidhband Fuck off back to Mumsnet, Thu 5 Jan 2012, 20:51, closed)

I read to my niece a lot over Christmas.
I now do not care one jot about the Seven Little Monsters, and as far as I'm concerned, the Elephant and the Bad Baby can go screw themselves.

Rumpeta, rumpeta, rumpeta.
(The Empress it seems you CAN polish a turd!, Sun 8 Jan 2012, 14:04, closed)