Lara the Yellow Ladybird

Lara sits on a flower. She watches the other ladybirds. They all have red wings. Her's are yellow.

Lara the ladybird was a special bug.

Unlike all her friends, she had bright yellow wings.

Lara's mother sends her off to school. On her way she waves to Manto Mantis and Bibi Butterfly.

Everyone loved her yellow wings.

Each morning, Bibi Butterfly said hello.

And Manto Mantis always waved.

Sesa Spider hangs from her nest. Lara arrives at school. Her friends are happy to see her.

Even Sesa, the sulky spider, was happy to see her.

At school, she played with lots of friends.

At home, Lara cries to her mother. She dreams of red wings.

But Lara wanted to be like the other ladybirds.

“I wish I had red wings like you, Mama,” she cried.

Lara stands on a chair in front of the mirror. Her mother paints are yellow wings using a tin of red paint.

So one day, to cheer her up, Lara’s mother painted her wings bright red.

On the way to school, Lara waves to the other insects. They don't wave back.

The next morning, nobody greeted Lara on her way to school.

Lara arrives at school. Her friends don't greet her.

And when she got there, none of her friends said hello.

Lara sits alone. She cries to her teacher.

Lara sat all alone. No one noticed her new red wings.

Until Miss Miya spotted her and said: “You’ve painted your lovely yellow wings!”

Miss Miya tells the children what Lara has done. They are shocked.

Lara’s classmates were shocked.

“Your wings are special!”

“So unique!”“So rare!”

Miss Miya tells Lara about Sipho's large spot and Sally's long legs.

“Lara,” Miss Miya said, “your yellow wings are what make you you.

Like Sipho’s spot … and Sally’s legs.”

Lara lies in the bath and scrubs the red paint off her wings. Her wings are yellow again.

Back home, Lara took a long bath and scrubbed until her golden wings gleamed.

“I’ll never paint my wings again!” she thought.

Except, maybe once or twice …

Lara holds a paintbrush. Her wings are painted with colourful dots and stars and stripes.

To try a bit of purple … or something nice.

But not for ever and just for fun.

Lara the Yellow Ladybird

Created by Martha Evans, Catherine Holtzhausen, Nadene Kriel

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