NEW YORK >> “The Very Hungry Caterpillar” is now dining in digital.

Last week, Eric Carle’s picture book classic made its debut in electronic format, Penguin Young Readers said. The new edition includes an audio recording of Carle reading the narrative. “The Very Hungry Caterpillar,” first published in 1969, has sold more than 40 million copies worldwide.

In a statement, the 87-year-old Carle said he still thought of himself as a “beginner” in technology, but said change was “inevitable” and e-books are a logical next step from paper, just as paper had come after cavemen writing on stones.

“And so and so forth,” Carle said.