Ladybird, Ladybird

On a Pedestal of Words. Can This Bug Soar?

The ladybug rhyme is quite different in this volume. It is a traditional Chinese verse translated into English, but has the same rhythm and number of lines as its well-known English counterpart. It urges lady bug to fly to the mountains to “feed upon dew” and then to ”Fly home again, do!” There is no reference to a house fire or that her children might be in danger. The illustration is very simple. A bright red watercolor ladybug is shown in the center of the mostly white page above the italicized English verse. Her wings are spread in flight which could cause some young children to see her as a butterfly. Chinese characters present that country’s version of the poem as side borders on the page, leaving the top of the page open for the ladybug’s flight. Although the ladybug’s actions are different from the verse most English-speaking children know, the spirit of the character’s flight remains the same. The poem’s author wants her to fly away to her home. The book is designed to be read vertically like a Chinese scroll. The Author’s Note points out that “Every country has its nursery rhymes and ballads for children, and in the different languages they vary in style or detail. Yet children’s poetry the world over is also amazingly alike in other respects and it is correct to speak of it as being universal.”