Ladybug Longlist: Grabbag

 

All at Once Upon a Time by Mara Rockliff

"Fracturing and reassembling fairy tales at a frantic pace, this frenetic re-mix of old favorites will have kids reacting on every spread as their expectations are teed up...and then diverted, tweaked, or downright smashed." -- nominator

Ellie Has a Secret by Amelia Bothe

"The illustrations in this cautionary tale are so evocative that it could almost work as a wordless story. The creature that emerges unbidden from the shell that the protagonist pilfers from the classroom is the perfect visual metaphor that expands exponentially until she finally atones for her 'crime'". -- nominator

Not Just the Driver! by Sara Holly Ackerman

"Great rhyming story that talks about the people that often get overlooked in making our world run." -- nominator

Pop! Goes the Nursery Rhyme by Betsy Bird

"Fun and interactive, this book melds traditional rhymes into the action of a silly character." -- nominator

This post is one of a series of 14 "bite-sized" pieces into which we have divided the 2026 Ladybug Picture Book Award Long List to help NH librarians consider all the potential nominees. Please review the full list (or wait until we have covered all the titles) before you cast your vote as you can only vote once.