Original story can be read here: Could the Ladybird plague of 1976 happen again?

The hot summer of 1876 saw a plague of Ladybirds, the likes of which have never been seen before or since.  Ever since their inception in 1867, no-one has enjoyed reading children’s books quite so much as the Victorians so this new batch could be a delightful respite to those long, lazy summer days in the country pile.

While the country heats up and the drought continues, Ladybird plan to swarm the country with as many as 23.65billion words stuffed inside various guidebooks, maps, novellas and stories about Jesus. The drought has hit the lower classes particularly hard with many queuing at standpipes in order to gain a little water. Meanwhile, Ladybird hope to make them feel better by showing colourful depictions of healthy, financially comfortable children playing in pools and lakes or drinking ice cold lemonade.

The explosion in popularity of the Ladybird books means the Loughborough based publishing firm will be able to take on more staff – probably child workers – to clean up and release any paper jams in the huge printing rollers.