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.