Ladybugs are so pretty, with their shiny red coats and round black spots. They’re friendly, too; they’ll come and land on your finger if you ask them nicely. That’s what the boy in Lady Bug by Jodi Stone does, and he gets the chance to take “his” ladybug inside the house and introduce her to his mom. He knows, though, that ladybugs are wild and you can’t keep them as pets—just like you have your place in the world, they have theirs, too. So he knows he has to take her outside again and let her fly away free, but that someday she’ll come back and play with him again.

Beautifully illustrated and told in charming, rhythmic rhyme, Lady Bug is ideal for younger readers. By using an insect as beloved as the ladybug, the book teaches children to respect and appreciate wild creatures and, ultimately, all the beings of the Earth.