Any little girl with an imagination is going to love the New York Best Seller, Ladybug Girl. The cover shows Lulu looking pretty as Ladybug girl in her sparkling wings, while her dog Bingo stands proudly alongside her with his extra long ears flapping in the wind. Lulu pops off each page in her bright red outfit and expressive face against a mostly-white background, while Bingo is never far behind, as though hoping to win the honor of official sidekick. The font is fun and changes size, color, and shape frequently to keep the reading as exciting as the adventure in the pictures.
Your child will relate to the boredom that sometimes takes over when you're expected to entertain yourself for the afternoon, and perhaps they'll understand Lulu's frustration with being told by her older brother that she is 'too little' to play with him and his friends. While you will appreciate the ironic humor of Lulu huffing, "there's nothing to do" while standing in a room overflowing with toys, puzzles, and games, there is also humor both you and your child will appreciate, like "when Bingo gives Lulu the look, It's time to go outside" or when Lulu throws the baseball as hard as she can, "but somehow it lands near her feet." Still, Lulu manages to have fun all by herself - and her dog Bingo, of course - as Ladybug Girl when she proves time and time again that she is not too little for anything - she is a fearless superhero. It is a great lesson for your child to learn that they can entertain themselves too.
My four-year-old niece, Emily, has a ton of fun with the Ladybug Girl books. The pictures on the inside cover of Lulu dressed up as all kinds of things - a rock star, an astronaut, a princess, an artist, a sunflower, and more - inspired Emily to raid her closet and invent a few costumes of her own. My favorite was when she came out in nothing but one of my blouses (which went nearly to her ankles), and costume necklace, boots, and a baseball hat saying she was "Weekend Auntie!" Apparently, I should dress nicer when I visit.
--Audra