What do you think?
Rate this book
Lydia
This book is no longer available at amazon.
39 pages, Paperback
First published April 18, 2007
22 people want to read
About the author
Marie Lawrence
18 books8 followersMarie Lawrence lives in New Hampshire with her family and three adopted pets. She has been a musician, a teacher, and an award winning writer. Her interests include gardening, painting, and humanitarian causes.
She has enjoyed working with children in schools to cultivate a love of poetry, music, and art. She believes that the arts can help us to realize our full human potential and give us a far greater capacity to feel empathy for the lives of others- people as well as animals . "The arts, i.e., she says, enrich our lives by adding a deeper dimension to our humanity."
Through charming heroines like Lydia the Ladybug, Ms. Lawrence helps children to realize that we are all special in our own way, and that each life has something valuable to offer the lives of others. Her stories have a theme of the magic of being, to be happy with who you are, and that our dreams can come true if we believe in ourselves.
Her first book, "Lydia, The Story of How the Ladybug Earned Her Wings," is praised by both critics and readers alike as a wonderful book that helps build children's self-esteem as a little ladybug realizes the value that her own life holds.
A second book and sequel to her fist book, "Lydia the Ladybug in Paris," has recently been published and is also receiving critical acclaim not only as a story full of wit, excitement, and charm but for its message that showing concern for the lives of our fellow creatures is noble and "queenly" in and of itself.
She hopes that her books give children the message that they are special, and that they have unique talents and qualities to share with the world.
To see more of her poetry and inspirational work visit her lenses at: http://www.squidoo.com/magical-poetry
http://www.squidoo.com/saint-francis
Her hub pages at http://hubpages.com/hub/ladybug_poems
http://hubpages.com/hub/The-Magic-of-...
and her poetry knol at http://knol.google.com/k/marie-lawren...
She has enjoyed working with children in schools to cultivate a love of poetry, music, and art. She believes that the arts can help us to realize our full human potential and give us a far greater capacity to feel empathy for the lives of others- people as well as animals . "The arts, i.e., she says, enrich our lives by adding a deeper dimension to our humanity."
Through charming heroines like Lydia the Ladybug, Ms. Lawrence helps children to realize that we are all special in our own way, and that each life has something valuable to offer the lives of others. Her stories have a theme of the magic of being, to be happy with who you are, and that our dreams can come true if we believe in ourselves.
Her first book, "Lydia, The Story of How the Ladybug Earned Her Wings," is praised by both critics and readers alike as a wonderful book that helps build children's self-esteem as a little ladybug realizes the value that her own life holds.
A second book and sequel to her fist book, "Lydia the Ladybug in Paris," has recently been published and is also receiving critical acclaim not only as a story full of wit, excitement, and charm but for its message that showing concern for the lives of our fellow creatures is noble and "queenly" in and of itself.
She hopes that her books give children the message that they are special, and that they have unique talents and qualities to share with the world.
To see more of her poetry and inspirational work visit her lenses at: http://www.squidoo.com/magical-poetry
http://www.squidoo.com/saint-francis
Her hub pages at http://hubpages.com/hub/ladybug_poems
http://hubpages.com/hub/The-Magic-of-...
and her poetry knol at http://knol.google.com/k/marie-lawren...
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
December 19, 2008
I love the message of this book that our thoughts about ourselves have more of an impact in shaping our lives than the opinions of others. This is why I find it to be such a powerful story in helping children as well as adults to see that a positive attitude about ourselves and life is essential in helping us overcome any obstacle (even other's rejection) in discovering our true destiny.
The heroine is a charming character who all children can identify with because of her innocence and love of life; she has an innate optimism about herself even though the other ladybugs around her reject her not because of her character but rather for her appearance-something that really has no value. But despite the other ladybugs' shortsightedness, Lydia enjoys life, has compassion for all living creatures, and continues to believe in herself. It's almost as if the author is saying that we all have a basic nature to like ourselves, realize our potential and be able to cope with rejection from others. By the time we reach adolescence and adulthood, however, many of us develop negative feelings about ourselves and lose this resilience that we once had as children. The "I can do attitude" that compels us to keep trying even after we "fall off our bicycles many times." Yes, as we get older, sadly, many of us lose this fundamental belief in ourselves that enables us to make our dreams come true.
This story is illuminating for both children and adults because it clearly illustrates the wisdom in being content with who we are and maintaining a positive outlook about life. That our self-esteem shouldn't depend on approval from others, but instead, come from within as a result of the choices we make in our lives and trying to do our best. As a parent, it serves as a reminder that we need to build our children's self-esteem by raising them in a positive environment and in helping them to appreciate their unique gifts that can have a positive impact on other's lives. We must be aware of the messages that we communicate even subtly and let them know that other's judgment may not always be accurate. We must realize that by being too critical of them and always rewarding them for outcome rather than effort will only produce insecure adults full of self-doubt. We will actually hamper them in their capacity to lead happy and productive lives.
I really enjoyed reading this charming fable with my child and simply loved the manner in which it was told-with witty and subtle lyrical rhyme that seemed to convey the sense of harmony in nature itself; a world in which ladybugs are such a central feature along with the other charming characters that Lydia meets. We both loved the beautiful full page illustrations that evoke a sense of awe as the artist has managed to capture the almost surreal beauty of the natural world. This is a wonderful story that can enrich both you and your child in thinking about what life is really all about and the magic of the moment.
I highly recommend this book to parents with children ages 4-10.
The heroine is a charming character who all children can identify with because of her innocence and love of life; she has an innate optimism about herself even though the other ladybugs around her reject her not because of her character but rather for her appearance-something that really has no value. But despite the other ladybugs' shortsightedness, Lydia enjoys life, has compassion for all living creatures, and continues to believe in herself. It's almost as if the author is saying that we all have a basic nature to like ourselves, realize our potential and be able to cope with rejection from others. By the time we reach adolescence and adulthood, however, many of us develop negative feelings about ourselves and lose this resilience that we once had as children. The "I can do attitude" that compels us to keep trying even after we "fall off our bicycles many times." Yes, as we get older, sadly, many of us lose this fundamental belief in ourselves that enables us to make our dreams come true.
This story is illuminating for both children and adults because it clearly illustrates the wisdom in being content with who we are and maintaining a positive outlook about life. That our self-esteem shouldn't depend on approval from others, but instead, come from within as a result of the choices we make in our lives and trying to do our best. As a parent, it serves as a reminder that we need to build our children's self-esteem by raising them in a positive environment and in helping them to appreciate their unique gifts that can have a positive impact on other's lives. We must be aware of the messages that we communicate even subtly and let them know that other's judgment may not always be accurate. We must realize that by being too critical of them and always rewarding them for outcome rather than effort will only produce insecure adults full of self-doubt. We will actually hamper them in their capacity to lead happy and productive lives.
I really enjoyed reading this charming fable with my child and simply loved the manner in which it was told-with witty and subtle lyrical rhyme that seemed to convey the sense of harmony in nature itself; a world in which ladybugs are such a central feature along with the other charming characters that Lydia meets. We both loved the beautiful full page illustrations that evoke a sense of awe as the artist has managed to capture the almost surreal beauty of the natural world. This is a wonderful story that can enrich both you and your child in thinking about what life is really all about and the magic of the moment.
I highly recommend this book to parents with children ages 4-10.
December 19, 2008
My daughter absolutely loves this book. This is a magical story for children. It teaches them that having a positive attitude about ourselves and life is what helps us to realize our dreams despite obstacles. Its large print makes it easy to read and the colorful pictures enhance the delightful but meaningful story. Its story has a powerful message that compassion for the lives of animals, and concern for the world around us is an important part of ourselves. In a plot that will engage your child's imagination, the author refers to Merlin the Wizard and the appendix contains an interesting little history lesson about the legend of King Arthur, his Knights of the Round Table, and his court at Camelot. It also contains a handy dictionary in the back to define any words used in the story which your child may not yet know the meaning of. This wonderful story will help them to see that every life has value and can enrich the lives of others. I highly recommend it for children ages 4-9.
August 7, 2010
This book is enchanting with its beautiful full color illustrations, inspiring story and its great messages for children to have faith in your dreams, to look on the bright side of life, and be happy with who you are. It encourages children to feel good about themselves, to respect their individuality as well as others, and shows them the value of our lives. The story also illustrates the importance of having a caring attiitude about others including all the living creatures that makeup our world. This is a wonderful story with a little ladybug heroine who will delight your child as she enlightens them too. I bought this book for my nine year old daughter who absolutely loves it and her best friend as a birthday present who now has become a fan of little Lydia the ladybug too.
November 22, 2011
I thought this book was sooo cute. there are soo many students who feel like they are small and cant make the difference in the world but then can. I would ask my students if they ever felt like that and just have a discussion on it.Each student wants to feel like they belong somewhere and this book is a prime example of that.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews