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‘We need the literature of other countries to expand our
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diminished, we are starved’
(The Times, Magnus Linklater 29/06/05)
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A Perfect Spot
by Isabelle Simler
Age Range: 6-8
Have you ever had to readjust your plans? The very flexible, adaptable ladybug in A Perfect Spot (written in French by Isabelle Simler and translated into English by Vineet Lal) has to readjust her plans when finding a safe spot to lay her eggs. After all, each time she finds a place, she finds other inhabitants in the area! Stick insects furiously snarl at her, thorn bugs yell at her to move out of their space, a leaf katydid that she mistakes for a leaf tells her to “scoot,” crab spiders and orchid mantises almost eat her, a goat moth camouflages into a tall oak tree that she originally thought might be a good spot, and lappet moths make her flutter away. Exhausted from her journey, the ladybug still looks everywhere for a place to lay her eggs, persisting and never giving up.
Simler creatively integrates science lessons into the story, teaching about different types of insects—where they live, how they act, and what they eat. Each of Simler’s illustrations is full of textures and layers, making the readers feel like they are in nature following along with the ladybug’s journey. As a supplemental lesson in the back of the book for any curious reader, there are diagrams of the anatomy of each insect.
Readers who have experienced changes of plans in the past will be able to empathize with the ladybug and understand what it is like to survive in nature alongside a whole community of friends and foes.
Catherine Hurwitz (Aug22)