School Library Journal Review
PreS-Gr 1-Lulu the Ladybug Girl is back, and this time she's thrilled to play with her friend Finny (aka Grasshopper Girl)-but only because Finny has brought her Rolly-Roo, a large wheeled toy horse that Lulu calls "the most amazing toy in the world." Lulu's reluctance to play any game that doesn't center around the toy does not escape her friend's notice, and when the wheel breaks off, hurt feelings come to a head. Lulu works to repair the broken toy and her friend's hurt feelings in a believable, childlike way, and she soon realizes that friends are way more fun than toys. The story also shows an interracial friendship. VERDICT With conflict and dialogue squarely centered in a child's world and expressive watercolor-and-ink illustrations, this is a welcome addition to a beloved series.-Kathleen Kelly MacMillan, Carroll County Public Library, MD © Copyright 2015. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Publisher's Weekly Review
The value of imaginative, free-form play has always been a key element of the Ladybug Girl books, and Soman and Davis emphasize it even more in this outing, which centers around a play date between Lulu and her friend Finny, a brown-skinned girl with dreadlocks. Readers will quickly recognize (along with Finny) that Lulu is more focused on Finny's large, equine pull-toy, Rolly-Roo, than she is on her friend. But before long the two have put the toy aside in favor of romping through fields, building fairy houses, and throwing tea parties. The friends' reconciliation comes a bit too easily, but Ladybug Girl's world is still a charming place to spend time. Ages 3-5. (Aug.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.