What the Ladybird Heard Next

What the Ladybird Heard Next by Julia Donaldson, illustrated by Lydia Monks (Pan Macmillan)

HC RRP $ 24.99

ISBN 9781447275954

Reviewed by Ramona Davey

The bright colours of the front cover will catch your eyes and on closer inspection the glitter, spread throughout the book, will make it hard not to touch, especially by little ones as they follow the ladybird’s journey throughout the book.

This is a fun rhyming sequel to ‘What the ladybird heard,’ where Hefty Hugh and Lanky Len have been let out of jail and are up to no good again.

‘Each morning all the eggs had gone.

And the animals asked, “What’s going on?”

“I’ll find out,” said the ladybird.

So she flew and she flew, and she saw and she heard.

Children will love trying to spot the little ladybird on each page as she helps all the farm animals outwit Hefty Hugh and Lanky Len.

Jammed packed with rhyming words, adjectives and onomatopoeia, this is a great text that teachers will want to use in class.

As a mentor text for writers this is word-heavy and in rhyme but Julia Donaldson is a master at this craft. It reads with ease and is worth studying.

The story, with its lyrical text, speaks of teamwork and creative thinking. Lydia Monk’s skill in creating an eye-catching picture book with its fun illustrations in a mixture of collage and paint means there is so much to see and discuss on each page. It’s perfect for the 3-6 year age groups.