🐞💛 LADYBIRDS DO NOT GO TO DAYCARE by @alirutstein and @ninanill is a joyful, reassuring picturebook perfect for every child off to daycare, preschool or kindy for the first time — especially helpful for any child who feels a little anxious or hesitant about it all 🎒🍱 🚌

This is just the sweetest book! I’m lucky to have Ali in my critique and writers’ group @writelinks and her voice is distinct – sweet, gentle & authentic with a dash of quirky humour — which is obvious from the very first page. I’m pretty sure the mum in this book is actually Ali 💛 And Nińa’s illustrations are so adorable and capture Ravi’s cute little personality and his apprehension, as well as his mum’s love, in equal measure 🐞

Maybe best of all, if you turn to the last page of the book you will see Ravi drawing ladybirds with three of his new day care friends, and (I hope this isn’t a secret 👀) each of these little friends will soon have their own companion titles to make the most adorable back to school book set ever 📕📒📘📗

I was so happy to attend the launch last December 🚀 I made a special 🐞 badge for the occasion. It is no surprise that the launch was the sweetest – not just because Ali baked the most delicious launch cupcakes I’ve ever had 🧁 or because @quickbrownfoxbookshop is just the sweetest and most supportive children’s bookshop 📚 or because @sandhya_librarybagbooks was the perfect emcee 🎤 or because @zewlanmoor is my fave wingwoman 👯‍♀️ but mostly because Ali and Nińa are just the sweetest peeps 💛and they got to do their launch together 🐞🐞️ Congratulations Ali, Nińa, @brightlightpublishing @hardiegrantkids – I predict this book is going to be on very high rotation at my libraries 🤸🏿‍♂️🤸🏽‍♀️🤸🏿‍♂️