Ladybugs

by Gail Gibbons

Ladybugs are a type of beetle. They live on six of the seven continents. There are believed to be about 5,000 different kinds of ladybugs around the world. Here are descriptions of their physical characteristics, their four states of development from egg to adult, and how they live. Ladybugs eat insects that damage plants and are an important part of our environment.

Genres: Picture Books, Nonfiction, Science, Animals, Childrens, Nature, Education

32 pages, Hardcover

First published February 20, 2012

About the author

From gailgibbons.com: I was born in Oak Park, Illinois, in 1944. Even as a little child, I was always busy putting books together. Sometimes I would bind them with yarn to hold the pages together. I've always loved drawing and painting. I was also a very curious child. My parents tell me that I was always asking lots and lots of questions.

Later, I went on to the University of Illinois, where I studied graphic design. Then I moved to New York City, where I got a job doing artwork for television shows. Eventually I was asked to do the artwork for a children's show. While doing that show, some of the children asked me if I had ever thought of doing children's books. My mind immediately recalled how much I enjoyed doing that type of thing when I was a child. So I put an idea for a book together and right away a publisher bought it. That book was called Willy and His Wheel Wagon. Since then, over 170 books that I have written and illustrated have been published. The type of books I write are non-fiction books. This is because I love researching so much. I get to ask lots of questions, just like when I was a kid. I also get to travel and meet lots of interesting people. While doing research for my book Nature's Green Umbrella: Tropical Rain Forests, I traveled to two islands where there are tropical rain forests, Saba and Dominica. I also had a great time writing and illustrating the book. I get a lot of pleasure from doing the type of work I do.

Reviews

[McKenna Farley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Genre: Nonfiction
Awards: none
Audience: 7-10 years old
A. The topic of this book is about the biological science of ladybugs.
B. This book presents information in ways that can cater to children of multiple different ages. The main text at the bottom of each page is written with simple words and short sentences for beginning readers and the illustrations are simple for young readers, but they are accompanied by more complex details that cater to more advanced readers.
C. Headers, diagrams, illustrations, charts, and various fonts are all utilized throughout this informational book.
D. This book would be better used for an individual reader due to the amount of information on each page. I believe this would be a good book for children who are interested in science and animals to read.

[Sanai’ Bailey · Rating 3 out of 5]

OK this book was ehh umm fine would that be the word hmm yeah but i wasn't in love with this book like i was with The Tiger Rising, or Dork diaries. Just basic non-fiction about ladybugs nothing special.


#not amazed#

[Jim Erekson · Rating 3 out of 5]

(Advance warning--this post isn't much about Gibbons' pre-K book.)

Not being a librarian I had no idea how many ladybug books there were out there. How does this become the number one topic for insect books? (In a way, it seems racist--very anti-aphid, if you ask me.) Looks like there's one 2008 title from Scholastic on aphids without even a cover photo on goodreads (see B&N or google books for the cover).

The ladybug book is a pretty good example of passive censorship. When the market trends one direction, and ladybugs become super popular, then we realize that the decisions on what doesn't get published are all made behind closed doors. A good old-fashioned book banning is so easy to see and decry as censorship, but it happens far less than we would like to think, and far less successfully today than ever before. The more difficult form of censorship lives inside the publishing industry that also works to give us so many wonderful books, too! No one pickets around the children's information shelf decrying the inequities of aphids.

The ladybug-aphid picture book inequity is a pretty good example of something being under erasure. We can see the aphid book as a possible sign, but with a fairly clear movement to dismiss it. Within the ladybug book, aphids are never discussed scientifically to discover their purpose and function in the ecosystem--they are only pests and ladybug lunch!

One of the best current picturebooks for shifting the topical conversation is Molly Bang & Penny Chisolm's Ocean Sunlight. Writing a book about plankton is like writing a book about grass. It would take a master to make it interesting! There's more of this needed in the information book industry, or else it's all going to be sharks, dinosaurs, and ladybugs. Down with passive censorship!

[Anna Smith · Rating 2 out of 5]

Story Summary: Nonfiction book on ladybugs and there life span and cycle. It goes over the different types of ladybugs where they are located. It goes over why farmers let ladybugs out into their fields to protect the crops.
Grade Level: K-2nd
Classroom Use; Science Class
Individual: If students had questions about ladybugs I would refer to this book.
Small Group Use: To have students analyze one section of the book and dig deeper into it.
Whole Classroom: To introduce the ladybug lesson in the science class.
Related Books: Gail Gibbons has many scientific books
Multimedia: Audio books

[Caryll · Rating 4 out of 5]

From the outside, this book looks like a simple children’s picture book, but once opened it wowed me with all the content packed inside. Ladybugs is an informational picture book that begins with the lifecycle of a ladybug, and includes other pertinent information about the ladybugs’ body and habits, interaction with humans, and its importance in nature. This book does not bore with the bright charts/diagrams and full page illustrations on every page. The book even includes pronunciations for some key words and definitions for scientific terms, so readers aren’t confused everytime the word pops up throughout the book. Ladybugs is a great book for an elementary student to look at, but second and third graders would probably be better at navigating all the text around the pictures--there is a lot of information and not that much white space on the page.
I would use this book to introduce an insect unit. Even though this one has diagrams, it’s still fairly fairly linear and could be used in a read aloud. It’s actually a good book to introduce students to how informational texts are organized with diagrams and charts. During a science unit on insects, after reading this book, a class could be broken up into groups and choose an insect to research. They could then work together to create their own posters of an insect’s life cycle, the way Ladybugs shows it.
After reading this book, the class could also keep a class insect and study its life cycle. It could be a ladybug, and the class journals what they see happening with the ladybug and compare to the book. Or the class could even get a different insect, like a butterfly, and then journal about its progress, making predictions about how the butterfly will grow and when it will hatch based on what they know about ladybugs or other insects. The class would later research the butterfly’s life cycle (Gail Gibbons has also written a book on the Monarch butterfly), and see if their scientific predictions were right.

[Children's Literature Centre at FSU · Rating 4 out of 5]

This would be a good book to use with older/elementary readers who may be doinga research project on animals/bugs. This book has extremely detailed illustrations and some of the illustrations look like they could be photographs. The illustrations are done with fun and vibrant colors that create eye-catching images for the reader. The illustrations do a good job at depicting what a ladybug really goes throughout during its lifecycle and the images are very accurate. The book contains good information on what a ladybug is, their life cycle, different types of ladybugs, etc. The book also contains vocabulary terms relevant to ladybugs, then definitions to match those terms. There were also informative diagrams on the anatomy of ladybugs through the different stages of their life cycle. The language of the book is simple for students to understand and it also provides pronunciations of words that may be unfamiliar to students.
Review by Danielle Ferris

[Mariah Jackson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ladybug is a Pre-K to Early Second grade read aloud. I would use this book as a read aloud because it has information that would need to be talked about as a whole class to make sure students understand. I really liked this book because it has pictures to go along with the information that helps students process the information. It has definitions and picture graphs that helps introduce students to the early skill of reading this type of information. I really was excited about how the book doesn't just spit information at the kids but they have designed the book to be engaging and telling the facts in the form of a story. It is also a very short read so students do not got bored by the information! This is a great whole class read aloud for Pre-K, K, and 1st. It is a great intervention tool for struggling readers in grade 2!

[Lindsey Wingfield · Rating 4 out of 5]

Review: I gave this book 4 stars because it's a good way for young children to learn about ladybugs. It gives more information with little text. The artistic elements are very colorful with telling more on each page with the pictures and not just the text. It has an educational value and I would definitely recommend this to other preschool/kindergarten teachers.

Summary: pages 4-11 describes the colors that could be found on ladybugs, how many different kinds, how many wings they have, and how many legs they have and what they are used for. Pages 12-15 describes what they ladybugs eat for lunch, what they use their antennae for, and how they help. Pages 16-21 describes how ladybugs grow up, how they lay eggs, what comes out of the egg and how it turns into an adult.

[Jennifer Allen · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a fun informational book about ladybugs. This book goes through all kinds of facts about ladybugs including the parts of their body, the different kinds of ladybugs and where they live in the world, the stages of the ladybug lifecycle, and how ladybugs affect the environment. This book contains colorful illustrations and diagrams. I like that this book could be read page by page or a child could turn to any random page and read the facts on it. I would have this book available in my classroom library for children to explore on their own during a unit on insects.

[Emily Faulkner · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought this book was super cute! This book would be great for the younger age group. It introduces different counting skills to kids but in a fun way with lady bugs. There is also information about the ladybugs so the children get a lot of information out of one book. If I end up teaching in a kindergarten classroom this is a book I would definitely read. Its and easy read and help students learn how to count.

[Margaret · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a specific content book about ladybugs. This book gives the young reader facts about ladybugs. For instance, ladybugs live on six of the seven continents and there are around 5,000 different types of ladybugs. This book would make a great book for a young reader who loves nonfiction and facts. It could also be used by an elementary teacher for an amazing spring unit.

[Lindsay Niebuhr · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is an informative little book all about ladybugs. I would give it two out of five stars because it is very specific to the content area of ladybugs but it would be an excellent science resource in the classroom or for children simply wanting to know more.

[Danna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Colorful easy to read detailed book about everyone’s favorite insect, the ladybug. We used the book to find facts about ladybugs then used the book in a compare and contrast project. My third graders enjoyed reading the book and rereading it as a read aloud

[Heidi-Marie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Came across this while weeding the J500s. Knowing SD is really into bugs and gets excited when she sees Ladybugs, I thought we'd try it out. Read this for Family Bedtime Book. And we all definitely learned something new! Interesting. Good pictures. SD really liked.

[Alexa Jaye · Rating 5 out of 5]

this is a good informational book that talks about the different kinds of ladybugs and their contribution to the environment. It also helps children understand that not all ladybugs are red with black spots, but they come in many different variations.

[Alisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

A scientific picture book for kids and adults who want to learn more about ladybugs. Fairly complex language and detailed illustrations. A typical Gail Gibbons. Best for 5-7 year olds. Would make a great compliment to releasing ladybugs in a home or school garden.

[Katy · Rating 5 out of 5]

great information in an easy-to-assimilate manner

[Mama’s Hysa Book Club · Rating 3 out of 5]

I had heard about Gail Gibbons and her non-fiction books. This didn't disappoint and my boy found it fascinating.

[Alicia Cantu · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fun to learn all the interesting things about lady bugs


Genre: Informative
Grade: any

[Jo Oehrlein · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lots of information on lady bugs -- their anatomy, their life cycle, their predators, and how they're good for the environment.

[Kaleigh WIlton · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book again, could be used in a unit about bugs. There is a lot of information about Lady bugs, but have animated pictures.

[Alondra Hernandez · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book would be great to use during a lesson about insects. It has factual information about ladybugs even though the pictures are drawn.

[Summer · Rating 3 out of 5]

The boys loved this fact book about ladybugs! 🐞

[Terran · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good pictures and overview of ladybugs.

[Katie · Rating 3 out of 5]

An illustrated informational book about ladybugs.

[Ebjourney · Rating 4 out of 5]

Informative.

[Villain E · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ladybugs' lifecycle and contributions to the ecosphere. Clear, straight-forward text. Decent art.

[Alana · Rating 4 out of 5]

I didn't know ladybugs were beetles, or that there were so many kinds. My kids cared more about all the colors and how many spots they had.

[Hannah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beautifully drawn, informational, and love the pronunciation guides next to the more uncommon/scientific words.

[Jessica · Rating 4 out of 5]

A nice reference and will be helpful when we raise ladybugs. From Glenna.