Thanks to NetGalley and Pan MacMillan for the ARC of this book.

My 2 year old daughter loves Julia Donaldson books, the What the Ladybird Heard series is not her favourite but she does like reading them especially making the animal noises which feature. I read her the new book today, she was quite excited to see Hefty Hugh and Lanky Len again and asked to read it again straight after we’d finished but got bored a few pages into the second read.

I don’t think this is the best in the series. The action is transplanted from farm to zoo and the animal noises aren’t quite as appealing, although my daughter enjoyed the hyena laughing then crying. The initial set-up to the story is similar to the previous two books; the ladybird overhears Len and Hugh plotting to steal an animal and deploys the other animals to help her foil the criminals. I thought the plot in the second half of the book was a bit weaker, less clever, interesting and funny than the other two books and it probably won’t engage children as much as they do, but I imagine kids who like those books will like this. It’s definitely not as successful as Donaldson’s most popular other books like The Gruffalo and Stick Man.

Lydia Monks’s illustrations are colourful and appealing and my daughter enjoyed spotting the little ladybird on each page. The use of mixed media is interesting and a bit different.

What a lovely book! The images of London are fantastic, all the animals are beautifully illustrated, and the rhyming pattern works very well.. The book manages to tell a detailed story involving baddies, heroic animals, and even the Queen herself! Children will love seeing that she wears her crown in bed, and that her real-life corgis are so important to the story, with the book dedicated to them. A fascinating story with lots to talk about, and a happy ending that sees the animals overcome the bad guys. As in the original Ladybird story, it is the tiny ladybird, who says little but listens to everything around him, who saves the day. A reassuring message for the quieter, smaller and shyer children that they can be heroes too!

Lovely story, beautifully illustrated!

Another fantastic book from Julia Donaldson and Lydia Monks. I love seeing the tales of the ladybird and I know the children are equally as excited. Highly recommend, it doesn't disappoint!

This winning duo of Donaldson and Monks return in another Ladybird adventure. Children will be familiar with the characters, will expect the rhymes and will love the brightly coloured illustrations. London landmarks will be recognised by even those who have never visited, and what young child doesn't expect the queen to sleep in her crown? We hope the thieves get their comeuppance, yet the added bonus of seeing them surrounded and chased off by the animals acting together is the perfect ending. All young children and the careers who will be reading this story night after night will love it.

The best way to review a children's book like this is to gauge the reaction of the age group it's aimed at. So that is exactly what I did! I sat my two grandchildren down (aged 2 and almost 4) and we read 'What the Ladybird Heard on Holiday' together. And they loved it! Told with the usual skill, humour and ease of understanding you would expect from a Julia Donaldson book, I'm sure this will be yet another instant classic. My grandchildren adored it! And no sooner had we finished it than they wanted to read it all over again. So I would say this story was a resounding success and would recommend it to all young children everywhere.

A perfect 5 stars.

The hits keep on coming from Julia Donaldson, the undisputed modern Queen of Children's Books. This is a delightful tale, wonderfully illustrated, that sees the return of the clever but oh-so-quiet ladybird from the classic "What the Ladybird Heard".

Although Donaldson is most well-known for "The Gruffalo", my toddler and I actually think some of her other books are as good or better than that story. And the original "What the Ladybird Heard" is one of our favorites, a zany fun tale that is hugely re-readable, providing ongoing delight in its words and pictures. So we were keen, and hopeful, about this new tale.

It's another home run from Donalson. Her verses are playful and full of fun, capturing the attention of little ones and adults alike as the story unfolds. Monk's illustrations add extra layers, with lots of little 'easter eggs' to discover on multiple reads. Things you can point out and ask your kids about as they follow the story, getting more and more from each read.

Donalson's books are always good, and many are great. This is a great one.

Another winner from the excellent combination of Julia Donaldson and Lydia Monks. The blurb tells enough about the story so I won't dwell on that or give any spoilers, other than to say it is a complete story, with animals, and will definitely hook young children in.

The illustrations are just lovely. So interesting and colourful and the first double page is packed full with simplistic but instantly recognisable London landmarks. So much so, that the name London isn't even used in the book. You can spend ages on that page alone as there's so much going on. I loved looking at all the landmarks in detail and asking children did they know what it was, had they ever been there, what do they think the Queen wears in bed, etc?! And the animal pages had us all making the animal sounds and noises. This makes a good, minimum half hour interactive storytime session with lots of smiley faces at the end (adults' included)!!

Those who are already familiar with the previous two books in the ladybird series will know what to expect, including the dashed line for little fingers to follow the ladybird's flight path and the glittery textured highlights. You won't be disappointed and I think this book is possibly the best of the series so far.

Those who aren't familiar with the previous books needn't worry as the tale is more than able to stand on its own, but be warned, you will immediately seek the previous two afterwards.

The rhyming couplets just zip along telling the story very simply. I might query the use of the word "Pursued" rather than "Chased" when writing for such young children, especially as I'm sure it will be shared with and read to children younger than the minimum specified age range of 3-6 years. I'll change this verbally when reading to them in future.

The only tiny criticism I can think of is the lack of illustration on the page with the text "But the ladybird had a good idea And she whispered it into the monkey's ear". Perhaps it was to focus on just the ladybird whispering to the monkey but there's a lot of empty pink page which I would have loved to see filled with more of the beautiful illustrations. That particular page seems a little empty in comparison to the other packed ones. It's a very minor concern though.

I'd highly recommend this book and know it will be just as popular in my school library and in classrooms (and elsewhere) as the previous ones have been.

Thanks to Netgalley and Pan Macmillan for the advanced copy. It was a pleasure to read and review.

What is lovely story about how a ladybird outsmarts the baddies. My girl would love pointing out the animals and making the sounds. Then when the dogs appear, it will be woof woofs all around. Another keeper from Julia Donaldson and Lydia Monks.