Lucy Ladybug

by Sharon King-Chai

Colors, numbers, and the seasons are gently introduced in this relatable story about fitting in—plus, it includes a BIG fold-out surprise!
 
When the other ladybugs make fun of spot-less Lucy, she decides to find spots of her own. Eventually, with the help of some new friends, Lucy realizes the beauty of being different.

Genres: Picture Books, Storytime, Childrens, Counting, Friendship, Animals, Self Esteem

32 pages, Hardcover

First published May 13, 2013

Reviews

[DiAnne Warfield · Rating 4 out of 5]

CADL FB Live story time 08-16-2021

[A Severs · Rating 2 out of 5]

I get what the message is but because it all focuses on beauty and outward appearance I'm not sure it really achieves what it is supposed to. Maybe I'm wrong. Nice pictures though.

[Carol · Rating 5 out of 5]

I don't think this book's intention was to focus on outward appearance. In the real world kids have to eventually come to terms and accept how they look. Some may even feel insecure. It's part of growing up.

This cute book addresses the insecurity a child may have about belonging. Lucy the ladybug seeks to find acceptance and in doing so, she realizes she has become the one who is admired and everyone else wanted to be like her. It's a great book and I think it also teaches the lesson of giving since the other spotted animals were kind to Lucy by giving away one of their spots to her.

[Camille · Rating 3 out of 5]

A very cute picture book with easy to read text and clear illustrations. The story is about Lucy, who is a ladybug without spots. Some share-friendly creatures share their spots with her and she learns to love and accept her differences. Great for toddler to kindergarten age storytimes or lapsits. You can make it interactive by having your audience identify numbers, animals and colors. This would be a good Dia de Los Niños read.

[Christine Grant · Rating 5 out of 5]

Countdown to Kindergarten:

Ladybug feels different because she doesn't have any spots. She meets spotted creatures throughout the changing of the seasons and by the end learns that there is nothing wrong with being different.

Counting and color.

[Jocelin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute!

[Lindsy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Super cute book about loving and accepting yourself. The pictures definitely make this book a must.

[Paul · Rating 3 out of 5]

I like the take of this book. An interesting book to read with children who are just starting to read.

[Alyssa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute! A seasons book, but more about being yourself.

[Joy Keil · Rating 4 out of 5]

A cute, colourful, fun read with toddlers.

[Fatma Büşra Akyol · Rating 2 out of 5]

The main theme of this story is not respecting differences. Given message: If your appearance is different, you have to change.

[Carla Keitlen · Rating 5 out of 5]

The book teaches children many concepts but the most important one is that we all look different from one another but we are all beautiful.

[Cristy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the story of Lucy the Ladybug. She is different from all of the other ladybugs. She does not have spots. She felt like she did not belong anywhere. This is the story of her journey to find her place in the world. She starts her journey by talking with Fred Frog. He graciously gives her one of his green spots. Her journey continues and she visits Carla Caterpillar, Felicity Fish and others along her way. I would recommend this for any collection. The illustrations do a great job of showing how she moves from one animal to the next.

[Marissa Elera · Rating 3 out of 5]

The story leaves a lot to be desired, though the premise is cute albeit predictable. What saves this book is the delightful art.

[Amanda · Rating 1 out of 5]

I should have loved this book, but I struggled to even like it (little things just kept on bugging me the whole time I was reading it).

First, the font used on the cover: I kept reading "Lucky" or "Luey" lady bug instead of "Lucy" Lady Bug. The cover looks so cheerful and whimsical, but it bugged me that I couldn't even figure out the title. Seriously, get your font together.

Second, this was so cheerful and sweet and cloying and just really truly annoying with whatever her name is Ladybug whining about how she wishes she was like everyone else and coveting everyone else's spots and everyone being all generous and enabling and giving...yikes! Someone needs to just tell her No. You get what you get and you don't pitch a fit. This is who you are; work with what you have and deal with it. SERIOUSLY.

If I walked around my neighborhood and whined to my neighbors about how I wished that I had your Mini Cooper, or their convertible, or their bike carrier, or whatever, NO ONE is going to give a care or say, " Why, Amanda, your smile is fantastic. Seriously though, if you want my thing go ahead and take it."

Third, the ending: WHAT? Suddenly everybody has rainbow spots out of NOWHERE? Riiiiiiigggghhhhtttt. I am all for being true to yourself and not worrying about what others think and celebrating differences, but um, did the author realize that they are ALL THE SAME at the end? Hello?! Nobody is different. They ALL have rainbow spots. Seriously. Talk about some SERIOUS peer pressure.

Blech.

[Paula · Rating 3 out of 5]

PreK-Gr2 -- Despite her sweet smile, sparkling eyes, and beautiful shiny red wings, Lucy is ostracized by the other ladybugs - where they display black spots of various sizes and configurations on their wings, Lucy is spotless. Dejected, she makes her way in the world by herself. All year long, Lucy meets other creatures and admires their spots - smooth green frog spots, shiny yellow caterpillar spots, sparkling blue fish spots, and dazzling white bird spots. These generous friends offer to share, and soon Lucy is sporting a variety of multicolored spots on her wings. When spring arrives again, she returns home to show the other ladybugs her spotty bounty - but she still doesn’t fit in. But is that such a bad thing? Mixed-media art uses leaf textures and shapes and photos of flowers to illustrate Lucy’s flittering journey to self-acceptance. Lucy should make friends with other picture book characters who have to come to grips with the skin they’re in, like Patrick the pink penguin in Lynne Rickards’s Pink! and Dev Petty’s discontented frog in I Don’t Want to Be a Frog! —Paula Willey

[Barbara · Rating 3 out of 5]

Poor Lucy Ladybug just feels as though she doesn't fit in anywhere and she isn't like the other ladybugs. After all, as they point out, she has no spots on her body at all. When she sets out on a journey of self-discovery, she meets various animals, including a frog, a caterpillar, a bird, and a fish, all of whom give her one of their spots. All of them point out that she has special gifts that make her unique, but she remains unsatisfied. To her surprise, though, when she returns to show off her spots to the other ladybugs, she realizes that hers are still different from theirs because of their unique colors. As two fold-up pages show, being different is actually a very good thing. Although I liked this message of affirmation and self-acceptance, I'm not sure exactly what made her realize that being different is perfectly fine or what prompted the other ladybugs to accept her as she is. Still, it's important to note the gentle message that fitting in may not be as important as Lucy thinks it is at the start of the story. The pages are drenched in bright, eye-catching colors.

[Rebecca Gomez · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book has absolutely lovely illustrations and a sweet, though repetitive, story. Lucy doesn't have spots, which makes her feel like she doesn't fit in with the other ladybirds. So she goes off to find spots, and gets some from several different critters, who each in turn tell her why she is amazing as she is. The text is rather formulaic, which leads to the book's story kind of being buried under its message. Still, the repetition may be good for very young readers/listeners and could lead to some good discussions about being yourself. And the bright, colorful illustrations are sure to capture little ones' attention.

[Beth Kakuma-Depew · Rating 3 out of 5]

From a library perspective, I don't think the Big Fold-Out Surprise is worth the hassle of torn pages. It's a double page lift-up that still shows all the characters in the same size. Not sure it would work well in story-time. And it would get torn after a few circulations.

but a cute ladybug, with seasons! And counting up to 4! If I had a niece named Lucy, this would be top of my gift lift.

[Caroline · Rating 5 out of 5]

Adorable story about a ladybug who doesn't fit in because she has no spots. After going around collecting spots from friends of different species she realizes she STILL doesn't fit in because other ladybug spots are all black. Great story emphasizing the beauty in being different as well as seasons of the year. Great illustrations using photos of leaves as the ladybugs!

[Zoe · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lovely illustrations, which could give rise to some fun creative activities with the kids. Reminded me a little of the Elmer story (colour, and being different). Language sometimes slightly stilted I found, though alliteration was enjoyed by my kids. A playful book.

[Read Ribbet · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gorgeous new concept book that combines colors, numbers and seasons with a great universal theme about differences. The book is formatted with a big fold out surprise that will catch kids' attention. A greta addition to a classroom collection

[Angie · Rating 4 out of 5]

"...But when Lucy looked around she decided that being different was actually...a good thing! (And everyone else agreed.)"

Artwork: mixed medium (scrapbooking paper, computer illustrations, and items from nature)
Concepts: Colors, Numbers, Seasons
Problem Solving: looked for spots

[Edward Sullivan · Rating 3 out of 5]

A familiar story cheerfully told.

[Jennifer · Rating 3 out of 5]

Touches on colors, counting and the season (as well as a handful of animals). Could be a good storytime pick.

[Kimberly · Rating 3 out of 5]

There's nothing original here but it's bright and cheerful with a big colorful fold-out in the middle.

[Trever · Rating 3 out of 5]

Counting book and all about being different.

[Colette · Rating 5 out of 5]

Be who you are meant to be, just the way you are, or add sparkles!

[Gary · Rating 4 out of 5]

Simple book to teach about diversity and accepting yourself.

[Lynn · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think this will make a great read aloud for grades PK-2. Wonderful themes are explored about self-discovery, wanting to fit in, and sharing with others. Could also be used to review counting, animals and/or colors. I think children will be drawn to this happy, feel-good story and the colorful illustrations culminating in a big fold-out at the end for an extra wow factor.