Claudine was a ladybug who wanted more than anything to live in Paris. Surely, she belonged there. Her red and black ensemble was equal to any creation from the House of Dior...

Claudine sets out with naive certainty to live an enchanted life, when - of course, there are surprises. And terrible challenges. Will Claudine have the strength of soul to achieve her destiny? Will she really be helped by Pierre, a sometime-rooster who quotes Simone de Beavoir?

Marian Grudko and T.A. Young have written a book that begins as a children's story and evolves through language and thought to earn its subtitle, A Fairy Tale for Exceptional Grownups. With drawings of Claudine by Donal Partelow, and paintings of Paris by Renee Gauvin.