The Short:  We love this book.  Ladybug Girl’s parents are busy in the morning and tells her and her brother that they’re responsible for entertaining themselves.  Ladybug Girl asks her brother if she can play with him but he (too rudely) says no she can’t because she’s too little.  Ladybug Girl then wanders around looking for something to do and  proves to herself that she isn’t too little.  She ends up having a great morning and feels good about herself because of it.  We highly recommend this book– but I do feel compelled to edit it when reading it to my two year old son.  

The Long:  If my son ever tries to be too macho or poo poos something as too girly — I will be quick to remind him that one of his favorite books as a toddler was Ladybug Girl.   I have to edit it a bit for my son because the brother in this story is really rude to Lulu (Ladybug Girl’s name), but other than that it is a beautiful and fun book.  We’ve read this book so many times I about have it memorized.  It is another book about taking charge of your life and it is very appropriate.  The illustrations are amazing in this book.  It is so easy to tell how much work and thought went into creating Ladybug Girl and her world.  My favorite scene is when she’s looking at a pond (that to an adult is just a puddle) and getting up the courage to run into it.  It’s fantastic.  I was a little surprised at first that my son liked this book so much, but really, it isn’t surprising at all.  This is a very well done book.  We’ve also read Ladybug Girl and the Bug Squad and we’ll be checking out the other books in this series, too.  I wish the siblings were nicer to each other, but other than that it is a wonderful, wonderful book that we’ll keep reading again and again and again.

We were in a children’s bookstore not too long ago and they have a Ladybug Girl doll.  My son was quick to recognize her and I was so proud!  Admittedly, he couldn’t tell you who Ronald McDonald is or who Elmo or Kermit or Nemo or Buzz Lightyear are — but doggonit — he knows who Ladybug Girl is.  (We’ll get to the others soon enough, I’m sure.)

Where Obtained:  Library.

FTC Disclosures: Some of the links in the post above are “affiliate links.” If you click on the link and purchase the book, I will receive an affiliate commission at no additional cost to you.  I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

The Facts:

Publisher: Dial Books for Young Readers

Publication Date: March 13, 2008

ISBN-13: 978-0803731950

Length: 40 pages