This will be a two part post – books and Halloween costumes – because the two are somewhat related in our house.
I had this grand idea when E was little that we would base our Halloween costume ideas on her favorite storybooks. I wanted her to be able to pick out her own costume each year, and finding inspiration on her bookshelves seemed to me like a good idea. I’ll cover some of our book inspired costumes in the follow up post, but I wanted to feature the books that are inspiring F’s costume this year.
It started with a library book somewhere along the way, but it didn’t take too long for F to become completely hooked on Ladybug Girl and all her books by David Soman and Jacky Davis. She’s drawn to ladybugs everywhere – in this fabric that I purchased to make her a ladybug bag for all her gear…
…in this embroidery project I worked on with E, where we made a Lulu doll…
… and when a ladybug balloon is made at a birthday party and offered out to the crowd, a certain someone’s hand is raised the very highest.
I’m not surprised a bit about her connection with Lulu. Lulu’s exact age is never referenced, but she seems to be about four – not yet in school, but independent enough to explore her house and her yard and the playground on her own. She’s the second child, with a much older brother who is busy with his own interests and his own friends. She wants to be included, but she also does not care for her brother’s superior, know-it-all attitude, and she really does not like to be referred to as “little”. She’s got a terrific imagination, and she feels brave and gutsy and ready for challenges, but in reality, she’s pretty nervous about a lot of new experiences in her environment – the ocean, the forest, her own backyard. She also struggles with the dynamics among her own group of friends – she’s at that age where kids really start to form close bonds with a core group of friends with similar interests (like dressing up as bugs and grand, imaginative play) – but they aren’t quite equipped to deal with dissent when everyone’s idea for the afternoon’s play is different.
