I, Fly: The Buzz About Flies and How Awesome They Are

I'm a big fan of nonfiction picture books that can be easily adapted to read aloud and that tackle unique animals or subjects, especially if they're gross. Kids love this stuff, even if it makes teachers and parents groan! This one hits all my requirements and although at first glance it might seem a little bit of a knock-off of Diary of a Fly, it's really its own unique book.

The titular fly zips into a classroom and is discouraged to find that all the kids are studying, yet again, butterflies. But flies are pretty cool too and he is going to tell his audience exactly why. Like butterflies, flies metamorphose. They have cool body parts that butterflies don't have, like halteres and a unique flight pattern and setae. Ok, yes, it is true show more that they throw up on their food, but only some of it! And yes, they do carry diseases, but they're not mosquitoes! In a humorous about face, Fly convinces the kids to study him instead of a butterfly...only to find out that this "being studied" thing isn't quite what he expected! Fly finishes up with talking about how flies fit into life all over the world and are used in scientific study.

Back matter includes a child-friendly glossary, bibliography that includes multiple websites, and acknowledgement of three experts. The illustrations are cheerful cartoons, mainly focusing on the fly and children in different settings, but they also do a good job of clearly setting out the fly's habitat and habits. The text is a little long to work as a straight read-aloud, but it would be fine if you pick and choose sections as you go through the book.

Verdict: This was a very funny and informative look at a fly, a creature that usually doesn't get much attention. It will get plenty of laughs and "that's so gross!" exclamations from your audience, while informing them about flies. Recommended.

ISBN: 9780805094695; Published 2015 by Henry Holt; Borrowed from another library in my consortium; Purchased for the library show less

I, Fly is an excellent twist to the ever over popularized "butterfly lessons" that many schools teach to young children in science classes. This book revolves around a fly that is sick of children only learning about butterflies when it comes to insect metamorphosis. He goes on to list several fly facts such as: life cycle, diet, anatomy, behavior, survival, and benefits/problems. This is a good book to instill scientific curiosity to young children by retaining the feel and look of a children's picture book but giving relevant and advanced facts about flies. Children can then go on and research their own facts about an insect or animal of their choice as a follow up activity.

What is it about flies that children love? They are pests that adults are constantly trying to get rid of but some of children's favorite fiction books feature the fly. In I, Fly, children, of all ages but particularly suited for k-2 grade, learn about the common household pest.

A fly zooms into the classroom to advocate for studying flies over butterflies. According to the fly, flies are beautiful to and have the same life cycle. Instead of eating flowers like the "fancy-schmancy caterpillars", flies eat poop and trash. He goes on to describe his unique flying skills. Then he takes questions from the students. When the students decide to capture him to study, he asks to be released. Before leaving, he offers a few more facts. The book show more contains a colorful glossary and bibliography.

The text and pictures include cartoon illustrations, speech bubbles mixed in with paragraphs, and diagrams. The main character, the fly, takes center stage but his speaking style and humor will engage students and make learning about the common housefly interesting. show less

This informational children's book discusses the life cycle of fly. It introduces key vocabulary terms with context clues and explicit definitions to help with meaning. The pictures are interesting and the book is written in the perspective of a fly telling the story of his life. I think that style can help grab students attention while still relaying the facts. I would use this to highlight key ideas and vocabulary like metamorphosis, larvae, pupae, etc. According to Scholastic, the readability level of this book is about 2nd grade. I would have my students order the stages of a fly's life with movable pictures after reading this book.

A breezy, fact-filled introduction that may inspire readers to reconsider the fly swatter.

This book is very useful to bring reading into a science classroom. There are a lot of vocabulary words that teachers can talk about and go over after or before reading this book. The text and pictures are very interactive for children due to the dialogue and speech bubbles within.

This book is great for teaching children about insects, especially flies. It is a funny story full of fun facts about the life span of a fly. It is a good book for any elementary grade because it is fun to read and educational.