Gr 1–4—Desperate cries for help send a shy bug with a sword, Sir Ladybug, on a morning quest to save a caterpillar
from a "monster" attack. Fresh, felicitous artwork is expertly paired with silly humor and friendship-building
opportunities in this title for young readers.

This early readers' graphic novel Sir Ladybug was a pleasant surprise! The structure of the book was very easy to follow with very defined grids. It has a range of organizations with 2 x 3 grid(6 boxes) or 2 on the top and 1 on the bottom, but there were a variety of variations. For an early reader it made it easy to follow.

The text overall reminded me of the Narwhal and Jelly series by Ben Clanton with the level of language and visual support. The book was also broken into chapters that helped organize the thinking for readers just like the Narwhal and Jelly books.

One of my favorite aspects of this book was the way it integrated content vocabulary. It explained key terms that were mentioned in the book by using an asterisk and putting it at the bottom or integrating it into the text. For example, it defined squire and aerate. It also included a lot of repetitive language and repeated sentences from characters such as in 3 different speech bubbles “Hmm,” to help reinforce the thinking process of the characters.

This book would be most appropriate for students to read independently. It would be a good book to meet in small groups to reinforce vocabulary and the structure of a graphic novel. ( )

This book gets all the stars.

Being a librarian probably makes me a little biased but this volume of Sir Ladybug was the best yet. I love that it focused on Sir Ladybug and his friends quest to return a library book in on time to avoid the "shame" of having an overdue book.

I also really liked that this story (and the first two books in the series), focus on doing good deeds and helping others when you can. ( )

Recommended Ages: Gr. 1-4

Plot Summary: Pell is shouting to the world about how amazing Ladybug is when a chickadee shows up and tries to eat a caterpillar. Ladybug jumps in and tries to save the caterpillar from being eaten but the bird is kindly insisting. They all hide out in Sterling's shell, which looks like a 3-level house on the inside. The plan is to wait out the bird. Will they make it that long inside the shell?

Setting: grassy field

Characters:
Pell - gray bug, Ladybug's herald (shouter)
Sterling - snail, Ladybug's other best friend
Ladybug - modest, has a sword

Recurring Themes: devotion, loyalty, friendship, fear, chivalry, survival, food chain

Controversial Issues: none

Personal Thoughts: A good introduction to the rules of knighthood during the middle ages in a safe, clean, happy way. The survival aspect is never scary and there's a decent amount of lighthearted humor mixed in.

Genre: fantasy, graphic novel

Pacing:
Characters:
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Activity: ( )

A daring librarian delivers a due date notice to Sir Ladybug, who, along with Snail and Pell, journeys to the library (housed inside a turtle shell), but has to stop and help many other bugs along the way - and convince a trio of bookworms (who love books a little TOO much) not to eat the books.

Pitch-perfect humor. Clever and sweet. See also: Pea, Bee, and Jay and Blue, Barry, and Pancakes. ( )