Lola the ladybug is loveable, full of joy, inspiration, imagination, self-expression and creativity.
She is the main character in author Mary Cuffy’s children’s books – Lola and the Dancing Ladybugs, Lola and the Magic Sticks and Bake the Cocoa Cookie with Lola.
Reminiscent of Sesame Street, the books use fun and music to help children learn. The first book helps with learning to count, the second with playing the steelpan and the alphabet, and the third with baking.
“The idea behind Lola is to talk about the local things that are happening and we want the children to learn about. I also want them to develop a love for reading rather than it being a punishment.”
Cuffy told WMN Lola was born out of tragedy. She decided to publish Lola and the Dancing Ladybugs when her contract with the Ministry of Education as an early childhood curriculum programme facilitator was coming to an end in December 2018.
[caption id="attachment_915250" align="alignnone" width="882"] Lola the ladybug, the main character in Mary Cuffy's children's books. -[/caption]
“Coming to the end of my contract, thinking about what to do with myself, you always have that moment of uncertainty of what you should do next. Getting involved in writing is something I always wanted to do so I settled my mind to do some writing, storytelling, and probably maybe turn it into a TV show for children and make some money.
“It worked out better than that because I’m still with the Ministry of Education and I was still able to touch a lot of people with Lola.”
Her idea for Lola, however, came to her in July 2018 through three things that happened around the same – a discussion with friends and two workshops.
“I have a master’s in literacy from the University of the West Indies (UWI) and I remember a lot of conversations with my friends who were frustrated because we need Caribbean literature, but we never really pursued it. It was a case of being frustrated in that moment and you say you will do something.”
She said during teaching practices for her work at the Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) Division, she often made short stories for children and participants would express their appreciation for them. So, when she heard about a writer’s workshop she decided to attend.
Simultaneously, she was facilitating a teachers’ workshop called Learning in the Outdoors.
[caption id="attachment_915214" align="alignnone" width="1024"] Early childhood education facilitator Mary Cuffy says storytelling, music and drama are ways to make learning easy for young children. - Photo by Roger Jacob[/caption]
“I looked at how the teachers were so happy going outdoors, when we had movement activities, when they were able to find an insect like a ladybug. And all the time, my thoughts were on what I would present on the last day of the writer’s workshop.”
Since Cuffy grew up on a farm in Arima, she was familiar with animals, insects and the outdoors so she thought she would write a book about something outdoors.
“That night I thought, I’m g
