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Ladybug Girl

Ladybug Girl

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The first hardcover picture book in the New York Times bestselling Ladybug Girl series, which encourages independence and creative play, and celebrates imagination for every preschool child!

When Lulu puts on her ladybug costume, she becomes Ladybug Girl, a superhero who uses her imagination to have adventures right in her own backyard. Her dog, Bingo the basset hound, is always by her side and the two prove that they are not too little to explore nature, build forts, and make their own big fun.

For fans of Fancy Nancy and Toot and Puddle, the Ladybug Girl series honors individuality, creativity, and a love of the outdoors!



40 pages, Kindle Edition

First published March 13, 2008

26 people are currently reading
1,290 people want to read

About the author

David Soman

73 books50 followers
David Soman hails from a family of artists, and has been drawing since he could walk (over to the kitchen walls to draw on them). He is the New York Times bestselling co-creator of the Ladybug Girl series with his wife Jacky Davis, as well as author and illustrator of Three Bears in a Boat and The Monster Next Door. David, Jacky, their children, and a big furry dog live in New York’s Hudson Valley. When not working on picture books, shoveling snow, or chopping firewood, David is an instructor at the School of Visual Arts in New York City.

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5 stars
2,262 (44%)
4 stars
1,526 (29%)
3 stars
963 (18%)
2 stars
253 (4%)
1 star
100 (1%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 317 reviews
Profile Image for MarilynW.
1,705 reviews4,021 followers
July 5, 2019
My Goodreads friend Michelle reviewed Labybug Girl, a children's book, about Lulu and her Basset Hound, Bingo. I have a Basset Hound/Boxer mix rescue that looks mostly Basset Hound, named Rufus, and I just had to check this book out of the library so I could see the adventures of Lulu and Bingo, for myself. I know I'm going to read all the books in the series, over time, because Lulu and Bingo are so cute.

I came to the book for Bingo but I'm staying for both Lulu and Bingo. What a cute little girl with her every expressive expressions. Lulu has opinions and she doesn't hold them in. In this book, life is very simple, with Lulu's parents doing house chores, brother playing ball with friends, and Lulu having to find entertainment for herself and Bingo. The illustrations are beautiful and I liked looking at the other costumes Lulu wears, when she isn't in her ladybug mode.The inside cover, front and back, has Lulu in her various costumes and that is one cute and imaginative kid.
Profile Image for Michelle.
727 reviews745 followers
April 1, 2019
My daughter received this book as a gift and IT IS AMAZING. I love Ladybug Girl (Lulu) almost as much as she does. The fact that Lulu has an adorable bassett hound named Bingo makes it even better. The illustrations are OUT OF THIS WORLD and so is the story. I am so glad this is a series and only wish there were 100 more. Cannot say enough good things about it!
Profile Image for Marie.
143 reviews50 followers
July 12, 2017
Ladybug Girl (Lulu) and her sidekick Bingo go on many adventures together in this series.  Lulu is a courageous, imaginative girl.  When cloaked in her ladybug girl costume she feels capable of taking on new adventures and solving problems.  Beautifully written, sweet stories with charming illustrations to enjoy time and time again.  
Profile Image for Manybooks.
3,640 reviews103 followers
July 10, 2021
So I have for years avoided reading David Soman’s and Jacky Davis’ picture book Ladybug Girl due to the controversy of the endpapers of the first, of the 2008 edition containing an illustration of Ladybug Girl wearing a Native American headdress (which is basically “playing Indian” and as such is also and understandably considered insulting and a case of unacceptable cultural misappropriation by in particular many Native Americans and Canadians).

However, I have just today stumbled upon Debbie Reese in her blog about American Indians in children’s literature pointing out (and in fact also being quite congratulatory towards David Soman and Jacky Collins) that in the more recent editions of Ladybug Girl, the endpapers depiction of Ladybug Girl problematically clad in a Native American “costume” has in fact and very much happily and appreciatively been removed. And yes, this is indeed the case, for the 2015 edition of Ladybug Girl that I read on Open Library does definitely NO LONGER feature a picture of Ladybug Girl costumed like a Native American (definitely, a total step in the right direction and major kudos to both David Soman and Jacky Collins for taking the objections of Debbie Reese and indeed of many others seriously enough and also acting on this by completely removing the offensive illustration, although I do agree with Debbie Reese that this should be more prominently shown so that especially parents considering Ladybug Girl for their child or for their children will be encouraged to forgo the controversial 2008 and to always consider the 2015 edition of Ladybug Girl where that totally inappropriate picture of Ladybug Girl wearing a headdress with feathers no longer appears at all).

Now with regard to Ladybug Girl as a story in and of itself, I do admit that from a personal reading pleasure point of view I have definitely kind of found the combination of David Soman’s text and Jacky Collins’s artwork a bit tedious and dragging, and actually also rather thematically unoriginal. As while I do appreciate the outdoor playing as something positive message of Ladybug Girl, and that the celebration of Ladybug Girl’s imagination is of course delightful (and that I equally do consider Ladybug Girl’s issues with her dismissive older siblings annoying but sadly totally realistic), much of Ladybug Girl is in my humble opinion also both textually and illustratively quite derivative, and as such simply too much of a mirror image of far too many older stories where a young girl is not able to join in her older siblings’ playing and must use her imagination and her dressing up in order to sufficiently amuse and entertain herself (and this is also the main reason why I am not really all that keen on continuing with the rest of the Ladybug Girl books). But although for me personally, Ladybug Girl is thus only a three star book, the fact that David Soman and Jacky Collins have decided to remove that massively culturally insensitive picture of Ladybug Girl wearing a Native American headdress this has most definitely made me decide to up my general and average star rating to four stars.
Profile Image for Tasha.
4,124 reviews131 followers
May 1, 2008
First, let me just applaud this book for not being PINK and SPARKLY. Instead it is red and sparkly and has a girl who is a spunky individual. Lulu's parents are busy and her big brother is playing baseball with his friends, so that leaves her to find her own fun along with her dog Bingo. Lulu spends the day outside in the backyard, running, saving ants from boulders, crossing puddles that could contain sharks, and building a fort of her own.

Captured in the illustrations are her sense of self and freedom. Lovely to see in a book for girls, Lulu is not squeamish and has a vivid imagination that keeps her more than busy enough while everyone is busy. The illustrations are full of movement, breeze and joy. They capture a day spent outside alone and the fun that can be found there.

Highly recommended as an antidote to pink sparkly books. This book could serve as a primer for modern children finding good old-fashioned fun in their own backyards. Recommended for ages 5-7.
Profile Image for Kathryn.
4,717 reviews
September 21, 2009
First, let me say that I LOVE the illustrations. They are SO adorable and completely convey Ladybug Girl's spunky, creative personality. And, yet... the story just feel flat for me. I would have almost rather there been no words so I could create my own. A few passages were quite pretty and fun, but overall, I felt annoyed that none of the characters really worked through their interpersonal problems. Ladybug Girl finds an adventurous, imaginative way to resolve her boredom, but her squabble with her brother is not handled in "role model" way and there is no satisfying resolution.
Profile Image for Rossy.
368 reviews14 followers
September 1, 2016
Superb illustrations, so adorable, but the story didn't grab my attention.
101 reviews2 followers
April 25, 2019
I’ve decided to start keeping track of my favorite kid books. This has such a wonderful girl character - brave and independent and curious.
Profile Image for Lisa Vegan.
2,870 reviews1,302 followers
December 21, 2009
I love the illustrations, including the ones on the inside front and back covers. The facial expressions on Lulu (AKA Ladybug girl) and the expressiveness of her dog Bingo are just wonderful. The illustrations are most of what make this book appealing.

I also appreciated how the story showed how a young child can use her imagination to have a terrific time playing by herself.

The funniest page (probably because I remember this so well from my childhood and from many children that I’ve known over the years) is the “There’s nothing to do.” page; Lulu is in her room surrounded by a large number of toys. There’s also a cute scene where Lulu looks at her older brother and his friends from a perspective that makes them, not her, look small.

Little girls who have older siblings are likely to enjoy this book, as are little girls who love dogs.
Profile Image for Jenny.
3,158 reviews37 followers
March 28, 2013
I think what I appreciated most about this is that Lulu spends her morning outside in nature and uses her imagination and observation to keep herself busy and entertained. And I like that dressing up like Ladybug Girl helps give her courage and strength. Despite the things I like, the story didn't make me fall in love with her. I may or may not read other books about her with my kids.
Profile Image for Judy.
3,479 reviews66 followers
April 29, 2016
A little girl who entertains herself by going outside. I like it. But there isn't much to the story. Apparently she lives near some woods (fallen tree, rock wall, open field to play ball), which wouldn't be available to most kids. Maybe this book should be read along with some of the other titles in the series.
Profile Image for Randie D. Camp, M.S..
1,197 reviews
March 18, 2013
LuLu wants to play baseball with her brother but he thinks she is too little...so, she spends the day outdoors and discovers that she isn't too little after all.

Fun illustrations and Bingo, the dog, is fun to watch too.
Profile Image for Deb.
1,505 reviews18 followers
November 3, 2020
I am happy to see there are a lot of Ladybug Girl books. I love the big floppy ears and expressions on the dog Bingo's face. I like the story of empowerment and helpfulness.
Author 2 books11 followers
June 16, 2024
I bought this book for my daughter when she was younger and we absolutely loved reading it over and over again! I love the story, the illustrations and how the words flow playfully on the pages. I love how confident ladybug girl is, allowing herself to be just exactly who she is - a good example for kids to think about the freedom that comes from just being you!
Profile Image for Rose Rosetree.
Author 15 books457 followers
February 6, 2023
The beauty of this book arrives at the start, for me.

Lulu's parents, in their wisdom, allow their child to get good and bored.

Afterward, her creativity emerges and the "Ladybug Girl" series is born.

Thank goodness, Lulu does things like hunting for "L"s. And taking out her ruler to see if it's grown.

So much wisdom and compassion lurk among the few words and splendid illustrations.
25 reviews
March 17, 2013
Annotation:

Ladybug Girl is a realistic fiction children’s picture book about a little girl named Lulu who calls herself Ladybug Girl. After her brother told her she was too little to play with him, she becomes frustrated and can’t find anything to do. She then went in her backyard and used her imagination to keep herself occupied. She helped move a rock for some ants, crosses a pond, fixes a stone wall to use as a fort, and runs all the way across a fallen tree without falling. In the end of the story, Lulu runs down the hill with her wings flying behind her “feeling as big as the whole outdoors”(n.p.). The illustrator’s use of impressionism through watercolor paintings included beautiful vibrant colors that reflect on the imagination of Lulu and complement the story nicely.

Response:

I gave this book 5 stars, because I truly enjoyed it. The story was cute and fun to read. The illustrations worked well to complement the story, because they help the reader see Lulu’s exaggeration as she pretended to be Ladybug Girl. The pages are filled with lots of beautiful color that helps the reader connect to Lulu’s imagination. The straightforward storyline would be easy for young students to connect to. The story shows how kids can have fun just by using their imagination.

This book reminds me of my childhood a lot, because I was always outside playing. I used to go exploring in the forest and my own backyard. Her little endeavors over rocks and trees are similar to things I would do to have fun as a little girl. As a child, an older cousin lived with me, and Lulu’s brother reminds me of him. He wouldn’t let me play, because I was too little, and I’d have to go outside and use my imagination, just like Lulu. I think it’s a good message for students, because it’s important for children to have an imagination.

Classroom Connections:

After reading this book as a class, I would have my students explore their own backyards at home. I would ask them to find different types of plants and bugs and have them identify each. After identifying as many as they can at home, they could then work together in class to help each other identify any unknown bugs or plants that were found. This activity would allow students to learn more about bugs and plants in their own backyard while exploring and discovering things on their own and working together in groups in the classroom.

Text Complexity:

The Lexile for this book is 600, and there is no information about its guided reading level. It would be appropriate as a read aloud for grades K-2, and a student would able to read the text independently in the fourth month of second grade.
Profile Image for Jennifer.
379 reviews
July 16, 2010
Glancing at my daughter's bookshelf, I realize we have a lot of precocious girl books. Let's see...there's Olivia, Lilly, Madeline, Eloise, Fancy Nancy, and Pinkalicious. And we haven't even gotten into Junie B. yet.

And then there's Lulu, a.k.a. Ladybug Girl. Like the others, she needs to rely on her imagination and self-reliance to make things right (although one might argue that things just sort of happen to Fancy Nancy and she just goes with it). And she's definitely a strong female character. In a world of Batmans and Spidermans, Ladybug Girl is a superhero in her own right. A good imagination is powerful, after all.

The story itself is ok. It's the illustrations I love most. The page where Lulu stands in her room with "nothing to do" makes me crack up everytime. And how refreshing that she doesn't wear a smidgen of pink.

Looking forward to Ladybug Girl at the Beach!
Profile Image for La Coccinelle.
2,255 reviews3,569 followers
July 29, 2016
This is (as far as I can tell) the first book in the series. Lulu is a fairly generic kid, so young she can't read, but apparently old enough to go play in the wilderness (or a really large backyard) without adult supervision. Most of the "plot" is just a bunch of activities she undertakes after her older brother won't let her play with him.

The thing that struck me about this book (and the rest of the books in the series) right away was the weird tense. I don't think I've read many picture books that were written in the present tense. It seems clumsy to me, and almost as if the books are training tools for when the kid grows up and has to get used to it if they want to read young adult fiction (where a large percentage of stories use present-tense narration). In a picture book, it just doesn't work.

http://theladybugreads.blogspot.ca/20...
Profile Image for Cindi.
939 reviews
April 24, 2009
Lulu's costume collection must be the envy of all small girls (my poor girls have no dress ups!). Make sure and pay close attention to the dog's funny expressions.

This had a great message that I can use as an adult. Sometimes you want to be doing something else. Sometimes you envy someone for what they've got or haven't got. Great is the moment when you suddenly realize that your lot in life is just as it should be, you sink back and relax into it. Gone is the angst, the fretting. Life is good.
Profile Image for Carolynne.
813 reviews26 followers
March 22, 2011
I decided to read this book based on Abigail A's comments, and sadly I found I agreed with them. The watercolor and ink illustrations are delightful, but the endpapers with Lulu dressed in the stereotypical Indian costume, marking her face with war paint, do seem oddly insensitive. The story I found undistinguished in any case.
Profile Image for Kiera Turner.
47 reviews2 followers
June 30, 2014
This book is one of my favorites! I think this book is the definition of imagination and creativity! This book reminds me of the Fancy Nancy books because of the imagination, independence and creativity of both characters. Great book to introduce to four or five year olds because they are really independent and imaginative at that age!
Profile Image for Amber.
1,550 reviews4 followers
June 9, 2008
The ladybug girl looks a lot like my niece it was an ok story. The story didn't really go anywhere. My niece pointed that out and she's (5)
Profile Image for Suzanne.
584 reviews32 followers
May 29, 2008
I really thought I would love this one, but it was ho-hum. My daughter was really excited by the cover, the story didn't really hold her attention.
17 reviews
September 13, 2019
This is the story of a young girl, Ladybug Girl, who wants to help and hangout with her parents and older brother, yet they say she is too young to do the things they are up to. She is very upset to hear this and tries to find something to do. She looks around her home, and just sees all the things she can't do, like reading books since she doesn't know how to. At first this discourages her, but then she starts making up fun things that only she can do. She goes on adventures that only Ladybug Girl is brave enough to do. Such as, splashing through "dangerous" puddles that could contain sharks, hiking over logs to get to "safety," rebuilding the stone wall/fence to make a "fortress," and finally climbing a "huge" tree that is very "treacherous." Soon she is being called inside for dinner, very pleased with herself because she was not so little after all. I love this story, because I love the verse in the Bible that talks about not looking down on someone because they are young (little) and this story just embodies that idea.

This story is a must have in every classroom because it teaches the fact that just because it is a child that is willing to help out, doesn't mean they are incapable. Because if we tell kids they can't do something they will most likely believe it. Yet in this story, Ladybug Girl was told she was too little and she refused to believe it and in her mind she conquered things that no one could dream of conquering, and we as teachers should help build that thinking up and not tear it down, and this book is a great starting place.
49 reviews
May 3, 2019
Lulu is a ladybug girl who has to come up with her own activities for the day since her mom, dad, and brother are busy. Her brother says she can’t play with him because she is too little. So she spends the whole day doing big girl things

The content of the book teaches kids that people can’t tell you that you are too little to do things. Throughout the book Lulu does big girl things and conquers her fears. Lulu teaches kids that they can make their own fun and have their own adventures.

The illustrations in this book are simple. It depicts the obstacles that Lulu faces and how after she conquers her fear how they aren’t as scary as she thought they were. They aren’t as colorful as other books, the colors are mainly pastel shades.

The theme in this book isn’t very clear. I believe that the point that is trying to be taught is imagination. It teaches kids to want to seek adventure and to be their own fun when there's no one to play with.

I would not use the Ladybug Girl in my classroom. It was a interesting book but I feel like kids would not be too engaged when it is being read to them. It is a book I would put in my classroom bookshelf but not read as a lesson. I didn’t find the book as interesting as I found other ones because there wasn’t any real hook that made me want to continue reading. This book is a series though so maybe if I had read the other I might have been more engaged.
15 reviews
Read
February 4, 2020
Summary: The book titled The Ladybug Girl is about a young girl who thinks that she is a ladybug girl simply because she loves ladybugs. Her parents tell her that they have to do around the house so she and her brother need to find something to do on their own. Her little brother goes to play ball with his friends and ladybug girl wants to play but her brother says that she is to small. Ladybug girl then goes on many of her own fun and adventurous adventures around her backyard basically telling her brother that she is not too small. She really uses her imagination throughout the book which is pretty inspiring.

Review: I thought that this book was especially unique because of the way that ladybug girl uses her imagination. She comes up with imaginative ways to prove to her brother that she is not to small to do anything which is something that I think we can all relate to and hear. She has the confidence in herself which is something that we all need from time to time. I loved the illustrations throughout the book because of how fun and playful they seemed to be.

Connections to Profession: You could use this book as a way to tell kids that even in your own backyard you can use your imagination and use it your advantage. It does not matter where you go adventure is always somewhere in your life and you do not have to be too young or too old for adventure. So letting kids know about using their imagination would be a cool little segment to tell your kids.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 317 reviews

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