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What the Ladybird Heard #4
What the Ladybird Heard at the Seaside
With a cast of wonderful sea creatures, including a magical mermaid, and plenty of seaside fun, What the Ladybird Heard at the Seaside is a brilliant rhyming adventure from the bestselling picture book partnership of Julia Donaldson and Lydia Monks.
The clever little ladybird is off on a trip to the seaside, but those two bad men, Hefty Hugh and Lanky Len, are up to their wicked ways again. This time they're planning to steal the mermaid's hair and sell it to a famous star. Luckily, the crime-busting ladybird has a clever plan to stop the thieves ...
The fourth title in the Number One bestselling series from the award-winning team of Julia Donaldson and Lydia Monks.
Enjoy other stories from Julia Donaldson and Lydia The Singing Mermaid, Sugarlump and the Unicorn, The Girl, the Bear and the Magic Shoes, The Rhyming Rabbit, Sharing a Shell, What the Ladybird Heard, What the Ladybird Heard Next and What the Ladybird Heard on Holiday .
The clever little ladybird is off on a trip to the seaside, but those two bad men, Hefty Hugh and Lanky Len, are up to their wicked ways again. This time they're planning to steal the mermaid's hair and sell it to a famous star. Luckily, the crime-busting ladybird has a clever plan to stop the thieves ...
The fourth title in the Number One bestselling series from the award-winning team of Julia Donaldson and Lydia Monks.
Enjoy other stories from Julia Donaldson and Lydia The Singing Mermaid, Sugarlump and the Unicorn, The Girl, the Bear and the Magic Shoes, The Rhyming Rabbit, Sharing a Shell, What the Ladybird Heard, What the Ladybird Heard Next and What the Ladybird Heard on Holiday .
32 pages, Paperback
Published March 18, 2021
About the author
Julia Donaldson
1,279 books2,026 followersGrowing up
I grew up in a tall Victorian London house with my parents, grandmother, aunt, uncle, younger sister Mary and cat Geoffrey (who was really a prince in disguise. Mary and I would argue about which of us would marry him).
Mary and I were always creating imaginary characters and mimicking real ones, and I used to write shows and choreograph ballets for us. A wind-up gramophone wafted out Chopin waltzes.
I studied Drama and French at Bristol University, where I met Malcolm, a guitar-playing medic to whom I’m now married.
Busking and books
Before Malcolm and I had our three sons we used to go busking together and I would write special songs for each country; the best one was in Italian about pasta.
The busking led to a career in singing and songwriting, mainly for children’s television. I became an expert at writing to order on such subjects as guinea pigs, window-cleaning and horrible smells. “We want a song about throwing crumpled-up wrapping paper into the bin” was a typical request from the BBC.
I also continued to write “grown-up” songs and perform them in folk clubs and on the radio, and have recently released two CDs of these songs.
One of my television songs, A SQUASH AND A SQUEEZE, was made into a book in 1993, with illustrations by the wonderful Axel Scheffler. It was great to hold the book in my hand without it vanishing in the air the way the songs did. This prompted me to unearth some plays I’d written for a school reading group, and since then I’ve had 20 plays published. Most children love acting and it’s a tremendous way to improve their reading.
My real breakthrough was THE GRUFFALO, again illustrated by Axel. We work separately - he’s in London and I’m in Glasgow - but he sends me letters with lovely funny pictures on the envelopes.
I really enjoy writing verse, even though it can be fiendishly difficult. I used to memorise poems as a child and it means a lot to me when parents tell me their child can recite one of my books.
Funnily enough, I find it harder to write not in verse, though I feel I am now getting the hang of it! My novel THE GIANTS AND THE JONESES is going to be made into a film by the same team who made the Harry Potter movies, and I have written three books of stories about the anarchic PRINCESS MIRROR-BELLE who appears from the mirror and disrupts the life of an otherwise ordinary eight-year-old. I have just finished writing a novel for teenagers.
When I’m not writing I am often performing, at book festivals and in theatres. I really enjoy getting the children in the audience to help me act out the stories and sing the songs. When Malcolm can take time off from the hospital he and his guitar come too. and it feels as if we’ve come full circle - back to busking.
I grew up in a tall Victorian London house with my parents, grandmother, aunt, uncle, younger sister Mary and cat Geoffrey (who was really a prince in disguise. Mary and I would argue about which of us would marry him).
Mary and I were always creating imaginary characters and mimicking real ones, and I used to write shows and choreograph ballets for us. A wind-up gramophone wafted out Chopin waltzes.
I studied Drama and French at Bristol University, where I met Malcolm, a guitar-playing medic to whom I’m now married.
Busking and books
Before Malcolm and I had our three sons we used to go busking together and I would write special songs for each country; the best one was in Italian about pasta.
The busking led to a career in singing and songwriting, mainly for children’s television. I became an expert at writing to order on such subjects as guinea pigs, window-cleaning and horrible smells. “We want a song about throwing crumpled-up wrapping paper into the bin” was a typical request from the BBC.
I also continued to write “grown-up” songs and perform them in folk clubs and on the radio, and have recently released two CDs of these songs.
One of my television songs, A SQUASH AND A SQUEEZE, was made into a book in 1993, with illustrations by the wonderful Axel Scheffler. It was great to hold the book in my hand without it vanishing in the air the way the songs did. This prompted me to unearth some plays I’d written for a school reading group, and since then I’ve had 20 plays published. Most children love acting and it’s a tremendous way to improve their reading.
My real breakthrough was THE GRUFFALO, again illustrated by Axel. We work separately - he’s in London and I’m in Glasgow - but he sends me letters with lovely funny pictures on the envelopes.
I really enjoy writing verse, even though it can be fiendishly difficult. I used to memorise poems as a child and it means a lot to me when parents tell me their child can recite one of my books.
Funnily enough, I find it harder to write not in verse, though I feel I am now getting the hang of it! My novel THE GIANTS AND THE JONESES is going to be made into a film by the same team who made the Harry Potter movies, and I have written three books of stories about the anarchic PRINCESS MIRROR-BELLE who appears from the mirror and disrupts the life of an otherwise ordinary eight-year-old. I have just finished writing a novel for teenagers.
When I’m not writing I am often performing, at book festivals and in theatres. I really enjoy getting the children in the audience to help me act out the stories and sing the songs. When Malcolm can take time off from the hospital he and his guitar come too. and it feels as if we’ve come full circle - back to busking.
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
August 9, 2025
love me some julia donaldson!!
August 28, 2020
Lovely illustrations and a fun story. Bought it for my niece's birthday but had to check it out first (any excuse 😂) and very much enjoyed it
October 10, 2020
What the ladybird heard at the seaside is a fun rhyming adventure book. The characters in this book involve amazing sea creatures and the mythical sea-dwelling creature (a mermaid). This ladybird takes a trip to the seaside and spots, two bad men, planning to steal the mermaid’s desirable hair and sell it to someone famous … fortunately the detective-like ladybird has a great plan to stop these bad men!
This is an interesting book recommended for the early years. It is a great book to read during storytime as there are many opportunities for children to ask questions to understand the text.
This is an interesting book recommended for the early years. It is a great book to read during storytime as there are many opportunities for children to ask questions to understand the text.
January 10, 2024
"Ear" and "idea" only rhyme in most of the UK. And soon all... hang onto that "r", Lancaster!!! (Also, sea lions bark, not roar...)
To borrow a phrase from my Filippina pals, it's "Same-same but different" to What the Ladybird Heard.
(For more about "the last bastion of rhoticity", here's an article from U of Lancaster: https://www.lancaster.ac.uk/news/rese...)
To borrow a phrase from my Filippina pals, it's "Same-same but different" to What the Ladybird Heard.
(For more about "the last bastion of rhoticity", here's an article from U of Lancaster: https://www.lancaster.ac.uk/news/rese...)
September 18, 2020
Wonderfully written, we see this little hero save the day again and out smart the troublesome duo Hefty Hugh and Lanky Len.
We met a seal, a crab and a dolphin. Oh and also a mermaid!
Beautifully illustrated by Lydia Monks, such an iconic style. Little C’s favourite character besides ladybird is the sea lion.
❤️ We loved that we could have a bit of fun and bring the characters to life with some of “Little C’s” toys, making it more engaging and sensory based. The fantastic duo @whatthelydiamonksdrew and #juliadonaldson have done it again
We met a seal, a crab and a dolphin. Oh and also a mermaid!
Beautifully illustrated by Lydia Monks, such an iconic style. Little C’s favourite character besides ladybird is the sea lion.
❤️ We loved that we could have a bit of fun and bring the characters to life with some of “Little C’s” toys, making it more engaging and sensory based. The fantastic duo @whatthelydiamonksdrew and #juliadonaldson have done it again
August 21, 2022
I have purchased this for my son because he loved
. What the ladybird heard
. What the ladybird heard on holiday
And he asks for them to be read regularly.
With the same style of rhyming and repetition as the other books I am hoping he will enjoy this one as much.
. What the ladybird heard
. What the ladybird heard on holiday
And he asks for them to be read regularly.
With the same style of rhyming and repetition as the other books I am hoping he will enjoy this one as much.
Read
June 12, 2020The book makes me want to go the beach to talk to all the animals there. Found myself reading to myself aloud as it had a quirky rhyme.
September 27, 2020
Very interesting for a children's book. My two year old son really enjoyed it.
December 31, 2020
Read this signed copy with my daughter as expected a lovely story.
May 8, 2022
This is a story of a ladybird who tells the mermaid that two men were going to chop off her hair. They set up a plan and in the end the men got seaweed instead.
January 2, 2024
I received this book in a competition. At first I thought this book would be boring. But when I read it, it was ok.
January 13, 2026
Ladybird save's mermaid's hair from being stolen.
April 18, 2023
Apr pick - I love the story. Good rhyming kids book.
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews