Imagine if everything that is happening in your imagination also happens in real life. How would it feel if your imagination suddenly became into reality? Would you be scared? Hopeful? Perhaps excited? That is exactly what happened to a little girl named Johana.
Read more as we go through Isabel Cintra’s latest book The Sweetest Ladybug.
The Sweetest Ladybug
The Sweetest Ladybug follows the story of Johanna, a cheerful girl known for her imaginative mind. Johanna is a sweet and intelligent six-year-old girl who enjoys studying and knowing more about insects—spending hours looking into her father’s books and discoveries, losing track of time. One rainy morning, just as how Johanna is supposed to go to her daily routine of entertaining herself, Johanna saw a small moving creature in the study room—a cricket. She tried to follow the creature and then managed to trap it in the corner of the room. Out of panic from feeling trapped, the cricket took out its flute and played a magical melody, making Johanna slightly hypnotized. Little did she know, everything around her became bigger and bigger—Johanna shrank and became the same size as the cricket.
Now, we follow Johanna as she discovers the mysteries in her garden. Getting the chance to interact with the other creatures she once imagined before, but now as a ladybug!
Vibrant Illustrations
Accompanying the beautiful storyline are vibrant illustrations drawn by Zeka Cintra. The illustrations are colorful and full of detail. You’ll get to appreciate how the illustrator put every scene into life. The scenes in the home, as well as in the garden with all the creatures are wonderfully illustrated. The illustrations are one of the highlights and are a must to check out for!
People of color representation
One thing I also like about this book is how the author picked people of color as some of the characters for this book—Johanna and her parents. This being a children’s book will give hope to children of color that they can be seen and represented as well in books and other forms of media –that they can be the main character of their story too. It allows children to see themselves in stories, and to relate with the character. Aside from that, this can also broaden other children’s perspectives to empathize and relate with characters who might not look like them.
Conclusion
This book is more than just a children’s book. Aside from the fun story, the book also gives a lot of lessons to ponder. The Sweetest Ladybug reminds us of our inner child, to remain curious about the wonders of life, to live like how children are—carefree and light. A sprinkle of creativity won’t hurt, and it would rather guide us to our rightful path. It’s also a story about friendship and accepting others despite our differences.
Overall, I enjoyed reading this book. It’s a short and fun read. I highly recommend kids, teenagers, and even adults to grab a copy of this book, available now!
