Ladybugs Don’t Dance

About the Book

Ladybugs Don’t Dance by Dr. Ruth Degman-Reed, is an exciting and creative story for elementary readers. It has such themes as friendship, dreams, wishes, sharing, perseverance , conflict and resolution. The story is told by an old black beetle with a long grey beard and a striped cane. Dottie Lottie lives at Ladybug Landing with her mother. She is a beautiful young ladybug with distinctive markings. She has a passion that drives her to achieve the impossible dream of being a creative dancer. Dottie Lottie feels the terrible pain of being discouraged by some and tested and challenged by others. She learns through the moments of fear and courage, when faced with dangers in the insect world. She experiences the value of disagreement and knows that dreams and love connect her life together. Her heart tells her to never give up and she soon realizes the meaning of hard work and achievement of goals. She experiences the joy and support of friendship with Crescendo Cricket, who also has a dream and becomes a part of the adventure. At Metric Meadows, they plan to join their dreams together; and with hard work, teamwork, and sharing, they achieve the impossible dream to be shared with others at Lilypad Lane. Their lives are changed forever.

About the Author

Ruth was born in San Diego, California with her twin brother, Russell. Their mother, Betty Lauer, encouraged creativity and imagination. Ruth and Russell became teachers and instilled the values of education and creativity in their students. Ruth created stories and poems to entertain and teach her students and her daughter, Heather. She realized that her dream was to share her creations with other children throughout the world. Ruth is an accomplished artist, writer, and poet, who has published internationally and received various awards and honors. Her audio book, Dare To Dream, containing five books for children, is sold through Spoken Book Publishers in Pennsylvania and on Amazon Books.com. Ruth has a B.A. in English, Education and History, as well as a Master’s in Counseling, and a Ph.D. in Human Behavior and Leadership. Her eight credentials range from community college supervisor/educator/counselor, and include Junior High and Elementary Educator and Administrator. She is also credentialed in Supervision of Instructional Programs. Ruth worked as a counselor and instructor for San Diego Community College. She served as Associate Director of Adult Education with the military in Seoul, Korea. She has experience in evaluation with the East Asia Regional Conference of Overseas Schools (EARCOS) and the Western Association for Schools and Colleges (WASC). She worked as Associate Director at the County Department of Education involving “You and Your Decisions” program for elementary and junior high students. She also worked many years at National City School District with multi-cultural students at various grade levels. She served on curriculum committees and gained experience through Vice Principal assignments. She was awarded the Martin Luther King Peace Award by El Toyon School. Ruth was selected as Outstanding Educator as a young teacher. Her biography was published in Who’s Who. Her consultant work with Scholastic, Inc., dealt with the “Open Doors Program” for at-risk students. Ruth believes that creativity, as well as knowing one’s passion, is very important. When we work on projects that deal with that which drives us from the heart, we are happier and more fulfilled, and we make others happier when we share it. Ruth also emphasizes that creativity is a spark that makes our lives more exciting. It encourages us to walk on new paths, and it adds color and originality that strongly shapes our lives and that of those around us! And in order to take a risk and make changes—we need courage. There are many different fields in which we can be creative besides the writing and arts fields: problem-solving, science, dancing, researching, investing, designing, and more. We need to dream and to work hard. When our different creative talents blend together, we work as a team and make the world a better place, filled with excitement, growth, sharing and appreciation. Ruth believes that our dreams, passions, risks, experiences, people, hard work, successes, failures—as well as sharing creativity…make us who we are in this special moment in time!