A Fly Went By (1958)

This classic children's book has a very fun way of delivering a simple message: sometimes a big fuss is made over something silly, like a lamb with a tin can stuck on its hoof. I enjoy reading this book out loud. It allows for a lot of loud, expressive, and lyrical reading. A must read! ( )

This is a cute, light-hearted book. Rhyming, repitition, and easy to read.

A boy is relaxing at the lake when a fly goes by in a panic. Character after character is chasing each other, not knowing that the animal chasing them thinks they, too, are in danger. But when he finds that all the ruckus is started by a lamb that has gotten his foot in a tin can he tells all the characters to STOP and explains they really aren't being chased by anyone to fear.

A good story when talking about cause and effect, point of view, and many more. The talking animals are good for fantasy units, too. A great book for beginning readers on a middle-late 1st grade or 2nd grade level. ( )

Summary: A boy sits by the lake, and then he sees a fly go by in a hurry-it's afraid of the frog that's chasing it. The boy tries to stop the frog, but it's not chasing the fly-it's running from the cat! The cat is running from the dog, who's running from the pig, who's running from the cows, who are running from the fox, who's running from the hunter, who is running from something that scared him. The boy continues down the chain, trying to stop the madness and the running, and finally finds that the cause of it all is a little lamb with a bucket stuck to it's leg that made a loud noise and scared the hunter. The boy gets the hunter to stop and help the lamb, and then he yells for the rest of the animals to stop they're running, explaining that none of them are really being chased. Then he goes back to sitting by the lake.
Genre Critique: This is an example of fantasy because the animals talk, and the whole plot of the story is completely impossible. However, it's a fun story that allows you to focus more on the characters and funny occurrences as opposed to the impossibility of it all.
Plot: This is an example of a circular plot because the boy is sitting by the lake and then goes through the whole ordeal of chasing the animals, finding that each is running for the same reason as the previous: because it thinks it's being chased, and getting them to stop running, and ends up exactly where he began-sitting by the lake. This type of plot worked well in this story because it is good to see that everything was able to return to normal by the end of the story after all the craziness.
Media: Charcoal and Water Color ( )

Illus. in color. A fly goes by, followed by a frog, who's chased by a cat, who's chased by a dog and a host of other frantic characters, in a humorous cumulative tale.