Aubrey and the Terrible Ladybirds
Publisher: Firefly Press
Aubrey's holidays are not off to the best start. His parents keep rowing, he's shrunk to the size of an earwig, and insects want him to save the world from starvation. Not only that, but everyone's fretting about the Ladbirdz family who've just moved in to the neighbourhood.
If anyone can sort out this mess, it's Aubrey: the boy who can talk to animals.
This lively chapter book is a funny, smart look at the differences and similiaries we share with creatures, great and small. It doesn't sugar-coat that, either - the spiders are quite happy to talk about what they will do with their men once they're finished with them…
There are also some convincing social and environmental messages: whether it's cutting down on pesticides or realising that everyone deserves a home.
The overall takeaway is we need to listen more to others' points of view. If you do, you may just hear a spider or swallow talking, too.
