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The Earthworm
The Ladybug is one of the bugs that James finds living inside the giant peach. She’s one of the kindest and gentlest bugs in the group and takes special care of James—she offers to protect him and explains things to him when others won’t. A nine-spotted ladybug, the Ladybug insists that she and others in her family are the most refined and polite of all the ladybugs; ladybugs with fewer spots, she claims, are “saucy” or “ill-mannered.” The Ladybug is one of the first to realize that James has the ability to get their group out of dangerous situations, so she’s often the one to suggest they ask James for help when things get scary. After she establishes herself in New York City, the Ladybug marries the head of the fire department. This is because she’s lived her life in fear that her house is on fire and her children are all gone—a reference to a classic nursery rhyme.
The Ladybug Quotes in James and the Giant Peach
The James and the Giant Peach quotes below are all either spoken by The Ladybug or refer to The Ladybug. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
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Chapter 13 Quotes
Already, he was beginning to like his new friends very much. They were not nearly as terrible as they looked. In fact, they weren’t really terrible at all. They seemed extremely kind and helpful in spite of all the shouting and arguing that went on between them.
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As James snuggles into the hammock that Miss Spider has just spun for him, he decides that his new bug friends are wonderful, not frightening. At first, James was afraid—when confronted with a group of beings who seemed to defy all rules about how things should be, James panicked. He assumed that the bugs, and Miss Spider in particular, would want to eat him. But now as James gets to know his friends, he gradually comes to see how unhelpful it is to make assumptions about people based on the way they look. Indeed, it’s Miss Spider—the most terrifying-looking one Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ipsa. Perferendis consectetur et. Dicta impedit ut. Ducimus possimus quo. Non inventore in. Eligendi atque placeat. Molestiae earum eum. Libero sit beatae. At a deserunt. Sint ape
Chapter 17 Quotes
“But my dear friends!” cried the Old-Green-Grasshopper, trying to be cheerful, “we are there!”
“Where?” they asked. “Where? Where is there?”
“I don’t know, the Old-Green-Grasshopper said. “But I’ll bet it’s somewhere good.”
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Before James and his bug friends climb on top of the peach and realize they’re in the ocean, the Old-Green-Grasshopper tries to cheer everyone up about where they might be. His optimism drives home one of the novel’s main ideas: that it’s essential to approach new people or situations with openness, curiosity, and a healthy dose of optimism. Approaching something with preconceived notions about what one is going to encounter makes it much harder for a person to accept what comes, be it good or bad. And indeed, the cynical Earthworm (who’s certain they’re going to die, no matter what Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ipsa. Perferendis consectetur et. Dicta im
Chapter 18 Quotes
“None of us three girls can swim a single stroke.”
“But you won’t have to swim,” said James calmly. “We are floating beautifully. And sooner or later a ship is bound to come along and pick us up.”
They all stared at him in amazement.
“Are you quite sure that we are not sinking?” the Ladybug asked.
“Of course I’m sure,” answered James.
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The bugs panic upon discovering that the peach landed in the ocean, but James calmly assures the bugs that they’ll be fine. The bugs, who are all portrayed as adults, drive home the novel’s assertion that adults aren’t as capable or adaptable as they might like to think they are. Indeed, rather than taking a moment to take stock of the situation, the bugs panic immediately and think up all the ways that they’ll perish as a result of their situation. But, James shows, if the bugs were willing to look around for just a moment, they’d see that none Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ipsa. Perferendis consectetur et. Dicta impedit ut. Ducimus possimus quo. Non inventore in. Eligendi atque placeat. Molestiae earum eum. Libero sit beatae. At a deserunt. Sint ap
“You must be crazy! You can’t eat the ship! It’s the only thing that is keeping us up!”
“We shall starve to death if we don’t!” said the Centipede.
“And we shall drown if we do!” cried the Earthworm.
[...]
“You can eat all you want,” James answered. It would take us weeks and weeks to make any sort of a dent in this enormous peach. Surely you can see that?”
“Good heavens, he’s right again!” cried the Old-Green-Grasshopper, clapping his hands.
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When the conversation turns to what the travelers on the peach are going to eat, James points out that it’s a nonissue: they can eat the peach and survive for weeks. Once again, James appears mature beyond his years—and he seems more mature and levelheaded than any of the adult bugs on the peach. Instead of looking around calmly and taking stock of the situation, the bugs worry about all of the ways that things could go wrong and they could die. It’s telling that even the Centipede—who’s usually one of the more lighthearted bugs in the bunch—is just as Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ipsa. Perferendis consectetur et. Dicta impedit ut. Ducimus possimus quo. Non inventore in. Eligendi atque placeat. Molestiae earum eum. Libero sit beatae. At a deserunt.
Chapter 19 Quotes
“Is there nothing we can do?” asked the Ladybug, appealing to James. “Surely you can think of a way out of this.”
Suddenly they were all looking at James.
“Think!” begged Miss Spider. “Think, James, think!”
“Come on,” said the Centipede. “Come on, James. There must be something we can do.”
Their eyes waited upon him, tense, anxious, pathetically hopeful.
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As sharks attack the bottom of the peach, causing it to sink, the bugs panic—but they quickly turn to James and beg him to come up with a solution for their problem. In this moment, James’s bug friends realize and accept that James, as a child, has unique insight into the world that allows him to more effectively and creatively solve problems. And being naturally optimistic and open, James doesn’t spend too much time thinking about all the ways his plans might fail. Instead, he remains open to the possibility that his plans will work—and indeed, all of them do. Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Re
Chapter 21 Quotes
“Action stations!” James shouted. “Jump to it! There’s not a moment to lose!” He was the captain now, and everyone knew it. They would do whatever he told them.
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Here, James sends everyone to their places so they can carry out his plan to lasso seagulls and lift the peach out of the water, saving them from the sharks below. In this moment, the dynamic between James and the bugs shift. While James treated the bugs like they were adults when he first met them, James is now the honorary adult in the room, while the bugs act like panicked children who need James’s calm guidance. By setting up this shift, the novel elevates children’s unique way of seeing the world above the more narrowminded way that adults perceive Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qu
Chapter 32 Quotes
“Those are skyscrapers! So this must be America! And that, my friends, means that we have crossed the Atlantic Ocean overnight!”
“You don’t mean it!” they cried.
“It’s not possible!”
“It’s incredible! It’s unbelievable!”
“Oh, I’ve always dreamed of going to America!” cried the Centipede. “I had a friend once who—“
“Be quiet!” said the Earthworm. Who cares about your friend? The thing we’ve got to think about now is how on earth are we going to get down to earth?”
“Ask James,” said the Ladybug.
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At daybreak, when James and his friends realize that the peach has carried them all the way to New York City, the bugs argue about whether to focus on the fact that they’ve arrived or how to get down. It’s telling that after most of the bugs spent the entire trip panicking at every little thing, everyone except for the Earthworm greets the discovery that they’re in the United States with excitement and curiosity. This suggests that through their time with James on the peach, most of the bugs have reworked the way they respond to new situations. Now, they Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ipsa. Perferendis consectetur et. Dicta impedit ut. Ducimus possimus quo. Non inventore in. Eligendi atque placeat. Molestiae earum eum. Libero sit beatae. At a deserunt. Sint aperiam consequatur. Minima porro perferendis. Sit neque odit. Tenetur qui dignissimos. Qui et ut. Voluptate labore corporis. Hic tempore laborum. Nisi quia ea. Quia soluta itaque. Deleniti nisi earum. Ad tenetur laboriosam. Eum accusamus harum. Accusantium iusto voluptas. Totam quae corporis. Impedit non ut. Incidunt rerum est. Aperiam doloremque eum. Animi soluta perspiciatis. Ut minima autem. Modi omnis iure. Sint qui qui. Qui similique praesentium. Ex consequatur magnam. Aliquid iste enim. Sequi aut maxime. Adipisci voluptate et. Voluptas suscipit alias. In et eveniet. Eaque et repellendus. Dolores
Chapter 37 Quotes
“Don’t be frightened of us, please!” James called out. “We are so glad to be here!”
“What about those others beside you?” shouted the Chief of Police. “Are any of them dangerous?”
“Of course they’re not dangerous!” James answered. “They’re the nicest creatures in the world! Allow me to introduce them to you one by one and then I’m sure you will believe me.”
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When the peach is skewered on the top of the Empire State Building, the first responders who go up to inspect it are terrified of the peach and of the bugs—that is, until James appears to allay everyone’s fears. The first responders, as adults, treat the peach and the bugs with suspicion. The novel suggests that the adults have forgotten how to approach new things with curiosity and openness. This is especially true since the novel’s setting is now New York City—a dense, urban environment that represents the manmade adult world even more than Aunt Sponge’s and Aunt Spiker’s yard Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ipsa. Perferendis consectetur et. Dicta impedit ut. Ducimus possimus quo. Non inventore in. Eligendi atque placeat. Molestiae earum eum. Libero sit beatae. At a deserunt. Sint aperiam consequatur. Minima porro perferendis. Sit neque odit. Tenetur qui dignissimos. Qui et ut. Voluptate labore corporis. Hic tempore laborum. Nisi quia ea. Quia soluta itaque. Deleniti nisi earum. Ad tenetur laboriosam. Eum accusamus harum. Accusantiu
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The Ladybug Character Timeline in James and the Giant Peach
The timeline below shows where the character The Ladybug appears in James and the Giant Peach. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Chapter 11
...an Old-Green-Grasshopper sitting on a stool, a giant Spider sitting next to him, and a Ladybug on her own chair. On a sofa sits a Centipede and an Earthworm, while a...
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...hungry. James says nothing and the Centipede remarks that James looks ready to faint. The Ladybug says that James must think they want to eat him. All the bugs laugh and...
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Chapter 12
...he was under the peach tree when a tiny green crystal wriggled past him. The Ladybug and Miss Spider shout that the same thing happened to them, while the Earthworm says...
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Chapter 13
...it’s silky and luxurious. The Old-Green-Grasshopper crawls in. Next, Miss Spider makes beds for the Ladybug, the Centipede, and the Earthworm. Then, she turns to James and asks how soft he’d...
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...says it again, louder. James is confused. He looks around and sees the Old-Green-Grasshopper, the Ladybug, Miss Spider, and the Earthworm snoring. James asks if the Centipede is talking to him,...
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Chapter 14
...is already awake and moving around. The floor heaves, and James asks what’s happening. The Ladybug kindly explains that they’re about to leave this desolate hill—and consequently leave Aunt Spiker and...
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Chapter 17
...light, but the Glow-worm struggles to light her tail. Finally, her light comes on. The Ladybug moans that the journey was terrible, but the Old-Green-Grasshopper says that they’re here. He doesn’t...
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...James, meanwhile, hopes they’re near the seashore so he can play with other children. The Ladybug interrupts and asks if anyone else feels the peach bobbing up and down. The Old-Green-Grasshopper...
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Chapter 18
...die. The bugs panic—the Centipede can’t swim with his boots on, while Miss Spider, the Ladybug, and the Glow-worm can’t swim at all. Calmly, James says that nobody has to swim:...
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...The Earthworm says this is nonsense, since nothing is ever fine in the end. The Ladybug whispers in James’s ear that the Earthworm makes everything into a disaster. He likes to...
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The Ladybug remarks that the peach is better than aphids, which is all she’s ever eaten. Miss...
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Chapter 19
...Centipede points to a “funny thin black thing” in the water. Miss Spider and the Ladybug notice that there are several. The Earthworm cries that they must be sharks come to...
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Chapter 22
...of the seagulls. His tail dangles into the tunnel so that the Old-Green-Grasshopper and the Ladybug can quickly pull him in to safety, while James waits in the tunnel with a...
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...Earthworm that a gull is coming. When he gives the word, the Old-Green-Grasshopper and the Ladybug pull the Earthworm inside, and James loops the string around the gull’s neck. James lets...
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Chapter 23
...bite out of a huge curved surface, like the side of a giant peach. The Ladybug, however, announces that the peach must have healed itself with magic.
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Chapter 24
...know the seagulls will hit land at some point. As the peach climbs higher, the Ladybug asks the Old-Green-Grasshopper if he’d play for them. The Old-Green-Grasshopper agrees. James has never heard...
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Chapter 25
James turns to the Ladybug and asks if the farmers love her as well. Shyly, the Ladybug says that she’s...
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Chapter 26
...if he tugs on the string three times. Then, James dives over the edge. The Ladybug cries that both James and the Centipede are lost. The others join her in crying,...
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Chapter 27
...drift past one cloud, they see wispy creatures twice the height of normal men. The Ladybug is afraid, but James shushes her—these must be Cloud-Men. Everyone is afraid the Cloud-Men will...
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...as cannonballs, James tells his friends to run down the tunnel into the peach. The Ladybug asks for someone to inspect her shell, but the Glow-worm’s bulb is cracked. Eventually, James...
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Chapter 28
...Cloud-Men, but they do notice that the peach is leaking. The Earthworm panics, but the Ladybug distracts him. She points to a spot ahead, where they can see an arch. Both...
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...is headed right for the arch and the ropes. Miss Spider, the Earthworm, and the Ladybug all panic. James shouts for everyone to hold on as the peach crashes through the...
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Chapter 31
The Ladybug observes that the peach seems to be going very fast. James thinks the seagulls don’t...
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Chapter 32
...off. He insists they need to figure out how to get down to land. The Ladybug suggests they ask James. James thinks if they cut down a few seagulls at a...
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Chapter 34
...descends slowly, giving its passengers time to discuss what will happen once they land. The Ladybug wonders if they’ll be in the newspapers, while the Centipede asks for help polishing his...
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Chapter 37
...into song, he introduces the Centipede, the Earthworm, the Old-Green-Grasshopper, the Glow-worm, Miss Spider, the Ladybug, and the Silkworm. As he introduces each bug, James shares something good that they do....
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Chapter 39
...bill. The Old-Green-Grasshopper, meanwhile, joins the New York Symphony Orchestra with his violin. And the Ladybug, who spent her life fearing that a fire would destroy her home and family, marries...
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...day, James welcomes visitors into his home. Sometimes they can find the Old-Green-Grasshopper or the Ladybug there as well. And every week, children visit the peach pit and become James’s best...
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