A Ladybug Poem for Halloween
The ladybug series saves its most dramatic adventure for last. On Halloween night, Lydia the ladybug and Frederick the frog are heading home after visiting Miss Spider — armed with magic dust and a warning. When Blackbeard’s ghost looms from the bog, Fred is terrified. But fear doesn’t stop him. He faces the bully pirate, Lydia summons a fire-breathing dragon, and the ghost runs screaming.
This poem has the complete structure of a classic story: a gift of protection, a threat, a moment of choice, a courageous act, and a triumphant ending. It is a poem about the heart of a lion in the body of a frog. And it is, above all, a poem about friendship — two small creatures, facing the dark together.
The Story & Poem
A Ladybug Poem for Halloween
They came from Miss Spider’s,
who had given them a brew
and some magical words too…
“Here, take this,
for it will protect you on your way
and will keep the evil spirits away.”
On this Halloween night,
Fred and Lydia
tiptoed past the graveyard
when they saw quite a sight.
Why, the little frog was so frightened
he turned white.
There was an eerie glow
in a cloud of fog
suspended above the bog.
They thought they heard some faint screams…
Fred had heard that the bog became
haunted on Halloween.
It was the ghost of Blackbeard the pirate
with skull and crossbone…
Fred said, “You are but only a ghostly apparition.”
The pirate laughed at the little frog
and said,
“I like your intuition!”
“I scared off all your neighbors
who look like you,”
and then he laughed with an echo
that sent chills down Fred’s back,
“a sight I truly savored…
it was fun to see them quaver.”
“You look as if you lost your pallor,”
then Fred tried to muster his valor,
“I’m not afraid of thee,”
but said in a voice that was shrill.
Despite his fear, he said,
“You are just a ghost, you see…”
“But what are you?
Just a frog!”
Then Fred replied,
“Ah, but you underestimate me!
I shall show you who’s afraid,
you are a bully and a braggart.
This cane and cape have magic!”
And then a shape he drew,
as Lydia then took her cue,
and into the air she flew!
She said a magical incantation
as she sprinkled the magic dust,
and then from the mist
came a monstrous incarnation…
A fire-breathing dragon
that even the fiercest pirate
would have feared,
who said,
“With my breath,
I shall sear your whiskers
if you don’t leave
and never come back here!”
Then the last thing they heard was,
“Shiver me timbers, I’m out of here!”
Yes, the pirate who was most feared
had been defeated,
and many times this story has been repeated,
as I say, with a sigh of relief,
by a ladybug and a frog
with the heart of a lion.
Before You Read — Ask This
🌟 Wondering Questions
- Have you ever been scared of something and done it anyway? What happened?
- Who is Blackbeard? What do you know about pirates?
- What does “the heart of a lion” mean? Can you have the heart of a lion in a small body?
- What would your magic potion do, if Miss Spider gave one to you?
Word Treasure Box
A ghost or spirit that appears unexpectedly — from the Latin for “to appear.” Fred calls Blackbeard “a ghostly apparition,” trying to sound brave with a big word.
To tremble or shake with fear or nervousness. Blackbeard bragged that he made all the other frogs quaver — he delights in fear.
Great courage, especially in the face of danger. Fred tries to muster his valor — to find and hold onto his bravery even while his voice is shrill with fear.
A person who boasts excessively and irritatingly. Fred calls Blackbeard a braggart — calling out his behaviour as bluster rather than real power.
A series of words spoken as a magic spell or charm. Lydia says her incantation as she sprinkles the magic dust — the words activate the magic.
An idiom meaning great courage and bravery — regardless of size or outward appearance. Fred and Lydia are small, but their hearts are lionhearted.
Flashcard Study Set
Nine cards from the poem — vocabulary, story events, and the heart of the poem’s courage theme. Click any card to flip it.
After You Read — Talk About It
Fred is terrified — he turns white and his voice is shrill — but he stands his ground. Is that more courageous than not being scared at all? Why?
Fred calls Blackbeard a “bully and a braggart.” Have you ever named a bully’s behaviour out loud? What happened? Does naming it have power?
Miss Spider arms her friends before they leave. Who in your life has given you something to protect you — advice, a skill, confidence, or something else? What was it?
Lydia’s dragon is summoned from imagination and magic. When you face something scary, what “dragon” can you summon — a person, a memory, a belief?
The narrator says the story “has been repeated many times.” Why do we tell stories of courage over and over? What do we get from hearing them again?
The final image: a ladybug and a frog with the heart of a lion. Draw this. What does the scene look like? What do their faces show?
Real Wonders — The History
🍃 Did You Know?
- Blackbeard was a real pirate. Edward Teach (called Blackbeard) was an English pirate who terrorised the Atlantic coast and Caribbean from 1716–1718. He was famous for his fearsome appearance — a huge black beard tied with ribbons.
- “Shiver me timbers” is a real pirate phrase. It’s an exclamation of shock or surprise — “timbers” refers to the wooden planks of a ship, which “shiver” (shake) in a storm or collision.
- Skull and crossbones was a real pirate flag. Called the Jolly Roger, it was flown by pirates to signal they were ready to attack. Its purpose was to frighten other ships into surrendering without a fight — exactly like Blackbeard’s ghost tactic.
- Bogs were genuinely feared in folklore. In many European traditions, bogs and marshes were considered dangerous, spirit-haunted places — perfect for Halloween night encounters with pirates past.
Create & Explore
✨ Activities to Try
- Design Your Magic Potion: If Miss Spider were giving you a potion for Halloween night, what would it do? Draw the bottle, write the label, and describe its effects.
- Write Fred’s Account: Retell the story from Fred’s perspective — in first person, starting with the moment he saw the eerie glow. What did he smell, hear, and feel?
- Blackbeard Research: Look up the real Blackbeard. When did he live? Where did he operate? What happened to him? How does knowing the real history change how you read the poem?
- Draw the Dragon: Lydia summons a fire-breathing dragon from the mist. Draw exactly what it looks like in your imagination. Give it a name. What does the dragon say to Blackbeard in your version?
Reading Guide
| Element | What to Notice |
|---|---|
| Story structure | This is the series’ only story-poem with a classic arc: setup (Miss Spider’s gift), conflict (Blackbeard), rising action (Fred’s confrontation), climax (the dragon), resolution (Blackbeard flees). Map it. |
| Dialogue | More dialogue here than in any other poem in the series. Blackbeard’s boasts, Fred’s defiance, the dragon’s ultimatum — each character speaks distinctly. Read aloud with different voices. |
| Courage vs. bravado | Blackbeard performs fearlessness — he’s a braggart. Fred is genuinely afraid and acts anyway. The poem clearly shows which is real courage and which is hollow display. |
| Central Message | True courage is not the absence of fear but the decision to act despite it. Small creatures with the heart of a lion can face and defeat the most frightening foes. |
- Two kinds of courage: Compare Blackbeard’s boasting with Fred’s frightened defiance. Which character is actually braver? Find lines that support your answer.
- Team bravery: Neither Fred nor Lydia could have defeated Blackbeard alone. Map what each contributed. Why is their teamwork the heart of the victory?
- Read it aloud as a play: Assign voices for the narrator, Fred, Lydia, Blackbeard, and the dragon. Perform it aloud. How does hearing the voices change the poem?
- The legend: The poem says the story has been “repeated many times.” Write two or three sentences describing how this story might be told by a ladybug to her children on Halloween night, years later.