~Jessamyn West
Remember when you were a kid and playing outside was just what you did. You got home from school, did homework (if you had any), scarfed down your dinner and then off you went outside to join up with your friends to play games in your neighbourhood. We, as kids, played softball, kick the can, red light /green light, red rover and our most favourite was hide-and -go -seek. If you were "it" you stayed in a designated spot and counted to 100 giving your friends time to find the perfect hiding spot and then you were off like a shot to expose them and count them out. It was hard work but man, what fun. You stayed out playing until almost dark, until you heard your mother calling your name to get inside because it was time to scrub off the dirt and get into bed. Those days are long gone in this modern culture so we restrict our kids to the safety of our laps, open a book about hide-and-seek and simulate the game with our child while reading through its pages. You can play I Spy with my little Eye as you turn each page of today's book and try to find a cute little lady bug that wants you to join in her game and find her wherever she is hiding...have fun!
Title: Yoo Hoo, Ladybug!
Author: Mem Fox
Illustrator: Laura Ljungkvist
The books begins with.....
Exerpt from book:
"Yoo-hoo, Ladybug!
Where are you?
There you are...
afloat in the bath,
with Duck and Giraffe!"
Written in superb rhyme, as Mem Fox is a master at, this book chronicles the "hidden" life of a playful little ladybug that just loves the game hide-and-seek. Your child will giggle and engage as the pages turn trying to find that little beetle that just magically disappears. The hiding places are familiar to a child's world such as toys and household items.
The illustrations are digital, with vibrant colours and spaced out nicely so a younger child can navigate through them quite nicely. The little bug always hides in plain site and with a turn of the page you find a close up shot of the little lady with a huge smile on her face, showing you exactly where she is located. The rhyming text is charming and the repeated refrain, "Yoo Hoo, ladybug! Where are you? " cannot help but be repeated by the delighted reader. It is fun book that your child will want to read (and play with) again and again.
Mem Fox
Born: March 5, 1946 (age 67), Melbourne, Australia
About the Illustrator:
Biography
Laura was born and raised in Gothenburg, Sweden. Her family moved to Stockholm in her teenage years where she eventually attended the pre-eminent RMI-Berghs Communications Institute. When graduating in 1988, Laura began her career as a professional free-lance illustrator; working with design firms, advertising agencies and magazines.
In 1993, after establishing a successful illustration and teaching career in Stockholm, Laura moved to New York City. She quickly found work with high-end department stores, magazines and design firms such as; Bergdorf Goodman, the New Yorker Magazine and Harper’s Bazaar to mention a few.
Working mainly as an editorial illustrator, Laura entered the next face of her career when her first children's book was published in 2001. Many more have followed and most of them are being translated and published all over the world, including China, Japan, France and Brazil.
Laura's vibrant, modern style has earned her many awards and international acclaim. Besides children's books, her work for magazines, advertising agencies and design firms continues and she is also collaborating with companies designing products. This is a field in which Laura is excited to expand her presence, applying her unique design sensibility and creativity to products and merchandising.
Laura lives with her husband, young daughter and their dog Lola, in a 100 year old brownstone in Brooklyn, NY.
Book review rating: 9 (close to perfection!)
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