Ladybug Girl Teaches Empowerment and Imagination: Book Review & Giveaway

Disclosure: Penguin Kids gave me a copy of these books free of charge for this review and are providing the book for the giveaway. All opinions in my review are my own and I did not receive any other compensation.  As in all my reviews I am providing links for your ease, but receive no compensation.

Have you discovered Ladybug Girl by Jacky Davis and illustrated by David Soman? Last month we shared some ideas for a birthday party themed around the Ladybug Girl book series. After the fun we had last month with book themed party ideas, this month Penguin Kids sent us the original Ladybug Girl book and asked us to come up with some ideas to go with it. Of course they sent us more than just the book. 

Our original plan was to throw a Ladybug Girl Birthday Party Play Date, but unfortunately Hazel's friends could not come when we could have it and then it was Easter. We however did plan some things around this idea. Now included in the pack came "Happy Birthday, Ladybug Girl!" balloons.

There were also coloring pages of birthday cards for Ladybug Girl.

Ladybug Girl is about a young girl named Lulu who wears her ladybug outfit all the time. In this book Lulu's parents tell her and her brother that they need to entertain themselves for the day. Lulu does not know what to do with herself. Her older brother tells her she cannot play baseball with him and his friends. She and her dog, Bingo, look for things to do around the house and then go outside. Outside she becomes Ladybug Girl who can do anything. She helps some busy ants by moving the big rock out of their way. She does many more things she sees as daring and brave and has a lot of fun. When she sees her brother and his friends arguing she decides their game does not look like that much fun anyway. The message of this book is that everyone can entertain herself/himself with a little imagination and each child has the power to do things. I love this message and feel it is perfect to help empower Hazel who can be shy and a bit timid. As Ladybug Girl, Lulu feels she can do anything. Taking that idea, Hazel and I decided to become bug girls. First I made Hazel some new ladybug wings from a fabric I bought ages ago to make her a tutu. I will still make the tutu, but have not had time yet. She also found a ladybug headband at the Dollar Tree and insisted on having it for her costume.

For the wings I used two wire hangers. I bent them into a new shape and covered them with a piece of the fabric folded in half. I used double folded bias tape to finish the edge. I glued it all together and used clips to keep it together until it dried.

I hooked the hangers together and added elastic loops to put the wings on and covered the hanger hooks with red felt. I glued everything into place.

Once it was dry, Hazel put it on with her new headband and became Ladybug Girl.

She decided she wanted to be Butterfly Girl, so she made herself some butterfly wings. I cut to large pieces of foam into the same shape and glued them together. Then she decorated them with various trims (that were on clearance at Joann Fabrics) and her gems.

I made dragonfly wings to be Dragonfly Girl. I glued them onto a piece of green felt cut like a dragonfly tail.

I had hoped to have each child at the play date make their own type of bug wings, but it didn't happen. We also made a fruit and chocolate chip ladybug snack. Hazel loved making these with a strawberry, red grape and mini chocolate chips. She insisted on using one of her ladybug plates too.

 Another easy ladybug craft was using a cupcake liner and black paper (and some hole punches) and glue.

If we had the play date we would have used our ladybug tableware ideas from the party and then had the kids make the wings. The snack would have been our strawberry ladybugs and we would have blown up the balloons. There was a game of pin the tail on Bingo on one of the poster Penguin Kids sent us.  Each of the kids would have gotten a card to color. For other ladybug ideas check out: What the Ladybug Heard, Yoo-Hoo, Ladybug!, and Raising Ladybugs from Larvae and our Ladybug Girl Pinterest Board.

Now it is time for the giveaway!! Please follow my Giveaway Rules and follow the Rafflecopter to enter. The winner will receive from Penguin Kids a copy of Ladybug Girl and a sticker book. Good luck!! The giveaway ends midnight on April 23rd EDT.

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