The Grouchy Ladybug facts for kids
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| Author | Eric Carle |
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| Illustrator | Eric Carle |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Publisher | Greenwillow Books |
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Publication date
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August 27, 1977 |
The Grouchy Ladybug, also known as The Very Grouchy Ladybug or The Bad-Tempered Ladybird, is a famous children's book written by Eric Carle. He is also well-known for creating The Very Hungry Caterpillar. This book was first published in 1977 by Greenwillow Books. It's so popular that the National Education Association even listed it as one of the "Teachers' Top 100 Books for Children" in a 2007 poll.
Contents
The Grouchy Ladybug's Adventure
This story is about a ladybug who is quite grumpy. One morning, this grouchy ladybug meets a friendly ladybug. They both want to eat some aphids for breakfast. Aphids are tiny insects that plants often have, and ladybugs love to eat them!
The grouchy ladybug wants all the aphids for itself. It challenges the friendly ladybug to a fight. But then, it decides the friendly ladybug is too small to be worth fighting. So, the grouchy ladybug flies off, looking for bigger animals to challenge.
Meeting Different Animals
As the day goes on, the grouchy ladybug travels around the world. It meets many different animals, each one bigger than the last. It challenges each animal to a fight. But then, it decides they are still not big enough.
The ladybug meets a yellowjacket, a stag beetle, and a praying mantis. It also encounters a sparrow, a lobster, and a skunk. The journey continues with a boa constrictor, a hyena, and a gorilla. Finally, it challenges a rhinoceros and an elephant. Each time, the ladybug says the animal is not big enough.
The Big Surprise and a Lesson Learned
Eventually, the grouchy ladybug meets a giant blue whale. It challenges the whale, but the whale doesn't answer at first. Then, the huge whale slaps the ladybug with its tail! This sends the little ladybug flying all the way back to where it started.
The ladybug lands back near the friendly ladybug, feeling wet, tired, and very hungry. After its long journey and big surprise, the grouchy ladybug decides to be nice. It learns to share the aphids with the friendly ladybug. The friendly ladybug tells the grouchy ladybug that it saved some aphids for dinner.
Unique Features of the Book
The Grouchy Ladybug is special because of its design. The pages in the book are not all the same size. They get bigger as the ladybug meets larger animals. This helps readers see how much bigger each new animal is.
Also, the blue whale's tail takes up a whole page by itself. When you turn that page, it feels like the whale is actually slapping its tail! The book also shows the time of day on the side of each page. This helps you follow the ladybug's journey from morning until night.
