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The House at the End of Ladybug Lane
Angelina Neatolini came from a long line of neat and tidy people. In fact, her great, great, great, great, great, great grandfather invented the garbage can. Her mother ironed her linguini and her father vacuumed the grass. But Angelina liked to roll in the dirt whenever she could.
And like most kids, Angelina wanted a pet, but pets are messy and the Neatolini parents did not allow mess in their new house at the end of Ladybug Lane, where they recently moved from the dirty city. Enter a hard-of-hearing and very daffy fairy godmother ladybug—and magic, mess, and mayhem ensued in the house at the end of Ladybug Lane, which became anything but neat.
This magical, funny story has messages of tolerance, "it's OK to be different," and unrealistic parental pressure, and it features the spot-on whimsical art of newcomer Valeria Docampo.
And like most kids, Angelina wanted a pet, but pets are messy and the Neatolini parents did not allow mess in their new house at the end of Ladybug Lane, where they recently moved from the dirty city. Enter a hard-of-hearing and very daffy fairy godmother ladybug—and magic, mess, and mayhem ensued in the house at the end of Ladybug Lane, which became anything but neat.
This magical, funny story has messages of tolerance, "it's OK to be different," and unrealistic parental pressure, and it features the spot-on whimsical art of newcomer Valeria Docampo.
40 pages, Library Binding
First published January 1, 2012
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Displaying 1 - 29 of 29 reviews
September 21, 2018
Angelina Neatolini comes from a long line of neat and tidy people. She and her parents move from the city to the suburbs. They live at the end of Ladybug Lane. Her parents threw out all the clutter in the house, shampooed the carpets and walls, vacuumed the lawn and polished the flowers. Angelina's mom would dress her neat as a pin with bows in her hair. Five minutes later Angelina would be a mess.
The one thing Angelina wants is a pet, but her parents say no. "Pets are not neat!" Angelina makes a wish that night for a pet. Suddenly a fairy ladybug appears on her window sill and said "Abracadabra ta-da! Give this kid a pest!"
So begins the night time adventures of Angelina and her fairy ladybug. It's a whimsical tale of a little girl who wanted a pet but ended up with pests, instead. This book is about being who you are and tolerance. The pictures are bright and colorful. A good book for reading to children out loud or at bedtime.
The one thing Angelina wants is a pet, but her parents say no. "Pets are not neat!" Angelina makes a wish that night for a pet. Suddenly a fairy ladybug appears on her window sill and said "Abracadabra ta-da! Give this kid a pest!"
So begins the night time adventures of Angelina and her fairy ladybug. It's a whimsical tale of a little girl who wanted a pet but ended up with pests, instead. This book is about being who you are and tolerance. The pictures are bright and colorful. A good book for reading to children out loud or at bedtime.
April 3, 2012
Beautiful illustrations, but the problems presented at the start of the story are not really resolved or even addressed at the end. It all felt a bit random.
February 10, 2012
Angelina is a member of the Neatolini family but she is unlike any of them. She likes to get dirty and play. She lives with her parents in a very neat house at the end of Ladybug Lane. She wants a pet but her parents won’t allow it because pets are dirty. With the help of her fairy ladybug the house at the end of Ladybug Lane becomes a home.
This book was a lot of fun to read. The illustrations are whimsical and quite beautiful. Lilly loved looking at the pictures and enjoyed the story a lot. The story itself was the perfect length to hold a 3 year olds attention until the end.
It seemed like the ladybug kept getting Angelina’s request wrong but in the end everything worked out for her. Lilly and I enjoyed this story and we give it 4 Stars.
This book was a lot of fun to read. The illustrations are whimsical and quite beautiful. Lilly loved looking at the pictures and enjoyed the story a lot. The story itself was the perfect length to hold a 3 year olds attention until the end.
It seemed like the ladybug kept getting Angelina’s request wrong but in the end everything worked out for her. Lilly and I enjoyed this story and we give it 4 Stars.
March 29, 2012
I tried reading this aloud today and it still doesn't make sense to me. Oh I get the gist of Angelina trying to be her messy and untidy self with her parents obsessive compulsive neatness, but the whole adventure of the hard-of-hearing magic ladybug fairy godmother and the critters she summons just didn't work for me.
The "pest" never seems like much of a pest to me. And the ending? it's too precious and pat. I wouldn't mind the parents agreeing to try to unbend a bit, but simply going along with their daughter due to magical manipulation didn't do it for me.
Oh well, maybe it'll work better for others. The illustrations are certainly lovely and some of the book is delightful fun to read.
The "pest" never seems like much of a pest to me. And the ending? it's too precious and pat. I wouldn't mind the parents agreeing to try to unbend a bit, but simply going along with their daughter due to magical manipulation didn't do it for me.
Oh well, maybe it'll work better for others. The illustrations are certainly lovely and some of the book is delightful fun to read.
April 16, 2012
Opposites can co-exist, maybe? Fun story about a little girl who is descended from a long line of neat-freaks. In fact her last name is Neatolini (cute). Her parents are neat; the on the other hand is not. She makes a wish and instead of receiving a pet she gets a pest instead. We see the mayhem that it causes in the Neatolini household. In the end things calm down and happiness resides in the house at the end of Ladybug Lane.
November 21, 2017
This fantasy filled story is about a girl named Angelina Neatolini. Unlike her parents, she likes to be messy. Her hair is always a mess and her clothes wrinkled. When she decides she wants a pet, her parents will not. A ladybug appears to her and grants wish of a pet, but nothing turns out like Angelina thought it would. It is a fun, creative story that children will enjoy.
August 14, 2017
Oh my. What a story. I don't feel comfortable about the way the parents treated their daughter. It worked out in the end. It was very wordy. Don't think I could use it for storytime.
November 21, 2022
Deaf reader reviewing books with deaf characters.
In this children's story, Ladybug grants a girl's wishes, but can’t make out exactly what she wants. Pet—pest, sardines—carpenter bees. Obviously these "mistakes" are ludicrous, hyperbolic. When the parents come out and see the mess and start screaming, we get the line: “For the first time all night, the ladybug could hear perfectly.” So, selective hearing?
It’s not entirely clear whether the ladybug was pretending not to understand Angelina, but either way, the miscommunication was a little bit *too* silly for my tastes.
I think if the ladybug had made one big mistake--i.e., hearing "pest" rather than "pet," and then spent the rest of the book trying to fix it, it would have been fairly funny. But it's the repetitive mistakes, especially when it's obvious Angelina was upset, that takes what could have been an innocent mistake and showing it to be mischievous intent.
In this children's story, Ladybug grants a girl's wishes, but can’t make out exactly what she wants. Pet—pest, sardines—carpenter bees. Obviously these "mistakes" are ludicrous, hyperbolic. When the parents come out and see the mess and start screaming, we get the line: “For the first time all night, the ladybug could hear perfectly.” So, selective hearing?
It’s not entirely clear whether the ladybug was pretending not to understand Angelina, but either way, the miscommunication was a little bit *too* silly for my tastes.
I think if the ladybug had made one big mistake--i.e., hearing "pest" rather than "pet," and then spent the rest of the book trying to fix it, it would have been fairly funny. But it's the repetitive mistakes, especially when it's obvious Angelina was upset, that takes what could have been an innocent mistake and showing it to be mischievous intent.
April 11, 2022
A whimsical tale of wishes and magic, when a young girl from a long line of squeaky-clean neat freaks makes a wish for a pet, and her hard of hearing fairy godmother lady bug conjures up a pest instead of a pet.
January 26, 2024
I didn't really like this book. I don't understand who the parents had a child. They don't seem like kid people. The pictures were overwhelming for me. Everything was so big and too colorful and hard to focus on. I'm not really sure the moral worked.
March 13, 2024
Love Valeria Docampo’s illustration!
March 9, 2016
Little Angelina Neatolini's parents are extremely neat, while that particular trait was not passed on to Angelina. They refuse to get her a pet of any sort because pets are messy. Angelina still wishes for one and magically a ladybug overhear's her (sorta) and magically produces a pest for her. The pest is a fantastic baker, but Angelina still wants a pet. The hard of hearing lady bug continues to produce a wide variety of other bugs that do amazing things - most of which untidy the Neatolini's house. The story doesn't always make sense, but it's fun nontheless.
Cute illustrations.
Cute illustrations.
January 18, 2012
I thought the story was delightful, a sort of Seussesque romp with made up creatures and silly things coming out of one girl's imagination misheard. Of course I thought the Pest looked like Oscar, my little pest. My one complaint was that the text was very difficult to read on the screen and might be hard to read aloud--and it is a little long. Honestly I had to get two inches from my very large screen to see that she was saying Pest and not Pet.
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May 14, 2017Meet Angelina, the naturally scruffy child of two neatnicks (they vacuum their front lawn), and the only ragamuffin in a long line of compulsive tidiers. Poor Angelina longs for a pet of any kind, but pets are “not neat.” One night she acquires a ladybug fairy godmother who mishears her wish, but the results are possibly all the better for it! - Kate D.
March 20, 2012
I am in love with the illustrations in this book by Valeria Docampo. The story is cute and fun. It is a bit long for a young child, but would be great for an older child.
AR 3.4
AR 3.4
April 9, 2012
This was creative and I loved the pest a whole lot. There's nothing better than a nice story about embracing everyone's creative side.
June 2, 2012
This tidy family is determined to keep things super clean. Their daughter is even more determined to get a pet.
June 20, 2012
This whimsical book was a lovely read for my 8 year old daughter. She loved the Neatolinis, especially Angelina! I so hope the author writes some more books about this character, it was so charming!
June 27, 2012
Angelina Neatolini does not fit in with the rest of her obsessively neat relatives until a wish is granted that brings the Pests to her house.
July 19, 2012
I love ladybugs. Everyone knows that. But I also love these whimsical illustrations. The story is also cute but not amazing.
August 21, 2012
Angelina Neatolini's wish for a pet, denied by her family on the grounds that pets are too messy, is overheard by a hard-of-hearing ladybug, who fills their tidy new home with assorted pests.
October 16, 2013
Angelina wants a pet and a magical ladybug grants her wish and gives her a pest, and a few other ones as well.
July 17, 2014
Was imaginative and had fun illustrations. Strange story though.
January 21, 2016
Angelina wants a pet but her parents thinks everything has to be neat and clean and a pet would not be. The story changes when Angelina meets a fairy ladybug to tries to grant her wishes.
April 20, 2016
Fantastic illustrations!
January 5, 2017
Okay this book wasn't bad at all! It was fun, funny silly and say Angelina Neatolini 3 times fast!
Fun to read! Fun illustrations....just fun!
Fun to read! Fun illustrations....just fun!
August 29, 2012
Love the illustrations, especially of the pest.
August 11, 2015
Really nice illustrations. Beautiful to look at. The magic is fun. My daughter really enjoyed it.
Displaying 1 - 29 of 29 reviews