Ladybird, Ladybird

A Magical Moment. Now Where Will You Fly?

This is a simple, gentle, and uncluttered scene on a stark white background in which an old-fashioned, somewhat homely, little girl seems to be giving a warning to the ladybird. Like the girl in Rackham’s illustration, dePaola’s child wears a wide, yet blunt, cap that ties around her head with a pink ribbon. Her dress is also similar, very feminine, pink with white dots and a white apron. Even her shoes have a pink ribbon or band. Her hand is outstretched as if she has just gently released the ladybird, again taking away from the urgency and seeming to reflect the superstition of the ladybird as good luck rather than the literal interpretation of the rhyme.