Ladybug+Girl

Soman, D & Davis, J. (2008). //Ladybug girl//. New York, NY: Dial Books for Young Readers.


 * Summary:** Lulu, a.k.a. Ladybug Girl, is told by her mom that she has to play by herself and thus begins her adventures with her dog, Bingo. Lulu's older brother tells her that she is too little to play baseball with him, so off she goes in her ladybug costume to entertain herself. She helps ants around a rock, runs through a shark infested pond, builds a fort, and many other exciting "big" challenges that cannot stop her because she is Ladybug Girl... and Ladybug Girl is not little.


 * Grade Level:** PS-2
 * Reading Level:** 2.0

4.1.1 Read, view, and listen for pleasure and personal growth 4.4.1. Identify own areas of interest 4.4.6 Evaluate own ability to select resources that are engaging and appropriate for personal interests and needs
 * Standards for the 21st Century Learner:**
 * 4. Pursue personal and aesthetic growth**

Informed that she's on her own for the morning, Lulu, aka Ladybug Girl, and her basset hound glower mutinously at her room full of toys and clutter ("There's nothing to do") before heading outside. There, in her first dazzling act of heroism, Ladybug Girl removes a rock from the path of a long line of ants. With loyal Bingo at her side, she bravely goes into shark-infested waters (a puddle), builds an impenetrable fortress (a crumbling stone wall), and briefly considers how small and insignificant her brother and the other big boys (who won't let her play baseball) seem. When Mama calls her home, she "flies down the hill with her wings bobbing behind her." "Feeling as big as the whole outdoors," Ladybug Girl hurries home to tell about her busy morning. Readers' eyes are inexorably drawn to Lulu's red ladybug costume, which sets off the subdued earth tones, both in and outside of her house. Winning touches include Bingo's floppy ears almost audibly flapping in the mid-morning breeze and Lulu's steely gaze throughout her adventure. Simple sentences throughout the story usually express just one thought or directive at a time, usually in just one sentence per page. A super book for lap-sits and storyhours.-Catherine Threadgill, Charleston County Public Library, SC
 * School Library Journal Review 2008: (from Mackin)**