The bad-tempered ladybird is very rude indeed and refuses to share the aphids. In a series of die-cut pages, the bad-tempered ladybird meets bigger and bigger creatures all of whom he says he wants to fight, though each time he decides they are 'not big enough'. His final encounter with a whale sends him flying back to the leaf with the aphids and the friendly ladybird with whom he is now more than willing to share. Clever technique. Has a practical aspect in learning to tell time, as a clock in the corner of each picture tells the time of his encounter with each beast.