Growing Up Ladybug by Štěpánka Sekaninová

Spring is hitting full-swing as sights shift forward to Summer. I still have a few things to plant in the garden, but most seeds have already found their place. The grass...well, let's just say that my mower better not play tricks on me anytime soon. The cows are happy, though. And fat.

Anyway, today's read fits the season. This book is the forth and final in a series for those beginning readers out there who are sure of their words. Each book covers a different insect and introduces all sorts of facts about them. I haven't read any of the other books in the series and am jumping in with this final addition. But then, ladybugs have always been a favorite insect of mine.

So, let's open this one up and see if we'll buzz around with these adorable bugs!

GROWING UP LADYBUG

Little Heroes Book 4

by Štěpánka Sekaninová

Illustrated by Linh Dao

Albatros Media

Picture Book

32 pages

ages 6 to 9

Peek into the bold and beautiful world of Anna the ladybug—where tiny legs, spotted wings, and big adventures await!

Anna may be small, but her life is anything but quiet. From the moment she hatches, she’s on the move—growing, changing, and learning how to survive in a world full of surprises. Whether she’s escaping hungry predators or hunting down her favorite snack (aphids!), Anna shows that even the tiniest beetles can be fierce, clever, and full of heart.

Whether your child is a budding entomologist or just loves a good garden adventure, Growing Up Ladybug is a delightful and educational journey they’ll want to read again and again.

The Little Heroes series highlights the essential, yet often overlooked, roles that insects and small animals—from pollinators to natural pest controllers—play in our ecosystem. Through a fun and gentle lens, young readers learn about the small but mighty heroes that keep our natural world in balance.

• Fascinating Ladybug Facts – Learn how ladybugs grow, hunt, and protect themselves in the wild.
• STEM Learning Through Storytelling – Perfect for classrooms, homeschoolers, and curious kids who love bugs, beetles, and backyard science.
• Complete Life Cycle Coverage – Follows Anna from egg to adult, highlighting her role in nature and the importance of biodiversity.
• Vivid Illustrations and Engaging Narrative – Brings the garden to life with colorful artwork and a story that sparks curiosity.
• Part of the Trusted Little Heroes Series – A favorite among families and educators, this series celebrates the courage and wonder of nature’s smallest creatures.

For more than 75 years, Albatros Media has been crafting original and innovative children's books that are both playful and educational, fostering curiosity and a thirst for knowledge in young minds. We deliver the highest quality children’s books from novelty, picture, pop-up, and how-to books, to nonfiction, and fairy tales.

GOODREADS    /     AMAZON     /     PUBLISHER

MY TIDBITS

Excitement, care, and the enjoyment of life buzz on every page as all sorts of ladybug facts unfold.

These pages are all about ladybugs and allow readers to enter this small insect's world with a hum of fun. Every page presents happy ladybugs as they go through their daily lives. The book covers everything from types of ladybugs (and there are over 5000 known species) to habits to life cycles and more. The entire time, a bubbly atmosphere keeps everything from growing boring and presents ladybugs with a very positive attitude. By the end, readers are sure to know much more than before...and even adults will pick up an interesting tidbit or two.

The illustrations are cheerful and add a mix of human characteristics to the bugs but not so much so that the facts get mutated. This opens up the door to younger readers with a sense of playfulness. At the same time, the information and explanations are given a visual foundation. For example, the various stages of a ladybug's development are shown in a way that can be used to identify them in real life. 

The text is suited to the readers, who are sure of their words, but stays short and keeps a light atmosphere. There is a general paragraph at the top of each two-page spread, which introduces the overall theme. Then, the more exact information is broken down into smaller sections throughout the page, only with a few, short sentences each time. These are also kept light and playful, allowing readers to join the ladybugs as they explain each aspect. So, the information never weighs down. 

It's a cheerful way to introduce readers to the world of ladybugs.

And here they are...

Štěpánka Sekaninová used to work as a TV reporter and in the production of children’s programs. Now she is a writer and a editor-in-chief, living in the Czech Republic.

Linh Dao was born in Hanoi and currently resides in the Czech Republic, where she studied Illustration and Animation. In 2016 she was a prize-winner in the Young Creative category at the ADC Creative Awards. She lives mainly on potato chips and green tea. 

Review: Amazing Animal Friendships by Pavla Hanácková

AMAZING ANIMAL FRIENDSHIPS

Odd Couples in Nature

by Pavla Hanácková

Illustrated by Linh Dao

Sterling Children's Books

Informational Picture Book

36 pages

ages 5 to 9

Discover some of nature's most unikely--but valuable--friendships!

Sometimes two are better than one--that's a matter of fact, even when the pairing seems very odd! From sharks and cleaner fish, to zebras and birds, to plants and their pollinators, strange friendships in nature exist everywhere.

With bite-sized text and quirky illustrations, this fascinating book introduces children to the weird and wonderful symbiotic relationships between animal species.

Sterling Publishing Company

 MY TIDBITS

Symbiotic relationships in the animal kingdom are simply fun to learn about in this quirky yet informational book.

There's a whole lot more to animals than meets the eye, especially when it comes to their relationships with other species. Big or small, animals help each other in the most amazing ways. Zebras and birds, hippos and fish, bugs and plants. . .the cooperation knows no bounds.

This book introduces young readers to the world of symbiotic relationships. Since many kids won't even know what that means, the concept is presented in a clear and easy style on the first few pages. After that, each two-page spread is devoted to a certain type of symbiotic relationship. From ants and aphids to shrimps and fish to hippos and their friends, this book covers a vast array of relationships found in nature, and it does this with pizzazz.

Each category is introduced with a quick title and followed by a short paragraph, which explains the type of help the presented creatures need and give. The rest of the page is speckled with small paragraphs, each describing a certain symbiotic relationship and the benefits it provides. These are accompanied by illustrations, which display the relationship clearly while still packing in a wonderful dose of quirky humor. To make sure the whole thing stays ordered, little arrows point to the accompanying illustration at the end of each square of text.  It's clear. It's informative. And it doesn't forget the silly fun. As an extra twist, several not so desirable relationships are pointed at as well.

The text is a little advanced for the youngest readers but kids ages five and up should feel fairly comfortable. It isn't a book to be read in one sitting but works great to flip through in spurts as interest allows. At the end of the book, a short glossary stands ready to help out with those more difficult words and an index provides a quick way to find information, which a young reader is searching for something specific. 

All in all, this is a fun book with tons of great information. There are some well known animal pairings as well as some unfamiliar ones. And it's something kids will gladly come back to time and again.

And here they are. . .

Pavla Hanackova is a writer who specializes in children’s nonfiction.

Linh Dao is a freelance illustrator and animator.