December 15, 2014
Why study boring old butterflies in school when there's a far buzzier insect on tap? A charismatic housefly eloquently states his kind's case.Sailing in through an open window in Plecas' cartoon illustrations, the hairy, popeyed advocate wows a class by pointing out that flies too hatch from eggs and undergo metamorphosis. Better yet, they fly better with two wings (and balancing organs called halteres) than butterflies do with four, and instead of eating pretty flowers "like those fancy-schmancy caterpillars," chow down on poop, trash and "Yum. Rotting fruit." Following a Q-and-A that brings out some other less-than-savory truths ("No. We don't throw up on everything. Only solid foods"), the vibrating visitor yaks out more fly facts, then takes a bow for the undeniably worthy work done by maggots everywhere. Even the onlooking butterfly is clapping by the end. The pictures incorporate chalkboard notes and charts to back up the fly's overview of muscid physiology, habits and life cycle. A breezy bucketful of buggy braggadocio, with tasty nuggets of well-digested natural history stirred in. (glossary, bibliography) (Informational picture book. 6-8)

COPYRIGHT(2014) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

December 1, 2014

Gr 2-4-A whimsical approach to the life cycle of flies. Large, colorful illustrations immediately engage readers through dialogue bubbles and colorful cartoons. Children learn all about eggs, larva, pupa, and adulthood through the narration of one fly who resents how much attention butterflies get: "Well, guess who else metamorphoses, can fly, and is beautiful (at least according to my mother)." Understudied and not as well liked, the fly is shown to be an important insect that greatly aids in decomposition and composting; the author includes discussion of maggots, rotting fruit, and environmentalism and dispels the myth that flies are dirty insects. Readers learn how the bugs help solve police crimes and how they further the study of science in the lab. This book will be a lively read-aloud to introduce students to environmentalism or to generate conversation and new ideas and will be enjoyed by independent readers.-Tracey Wong, P.S. 54/Fordham Bedford Academy, Bronx, NY

Copyright 2014 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

December 15, 2014
Grades K-3 A housefly buzzes into a classroom to find the students learning about butterflies. I get it, he sighs. They have such beautiful wings. But onto his teeny tiny soapbox he hops to make a case for the fascinating fly. Flies, you know, metamorphose the same as butterflies, only instead of being called caterpillars, they are called maggotswhat's the big deal? Our mom tucked us into a warm, smelly bed of dog doo, recalls the fly. These short, greasy white worms reproduce at a rapid rate, and within days a single fly can spawn thousands of grandmaggots. Suitably impressed, the students pepper the fly with questions. Do flies really vomit on food before eating it? Do they really spread disease? Well, yesbut, hey, blowflies and maggots help police solve crimes, too, so it all evens out! Like the author's What to Expect When You're Expecting Larvae (2011), this is giggly, gross, and educational, helped along by Plecas, who depicts our protagonist as a wide-eyed, hard-luck guy just trying to make a living. By, you know, eating poop and whatnot.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2014, American Library Association.)

March 1, 2015
An adorable fly -- googly-eyed, fuzzy-bodied, and with a winning smile, as portrayed in Plecas's funny but informative cartoon illustrations -- makes a compelling argument for why he should be the science-class representative for insect life cycles instead of the overexposed, annoyingly perfect butterfly. He pleads his case in front of a skeptical classroom audience, who grill the fly about his more unsavory habits (garbage-eating, disease-spreading). Eventually convinced that "Flies rule!" the students capture the fly for scientific study, and he quickly changes his tune, pleading for his release. Heos cleverly skewers the classic elements of the typical animal book -- the insect life cycle is told through a sappy reminiscence, and the point-by-point comparisons to butterflies and mosquitoes highlight just what makes an insect an insect. Those educators also weary of the primary-science butterfly bias will find this take on insects refreshing, amusing, and scientifically accurate. Appended with a glossary, select bibliography, and list of experts (presumably consulted). danielle j. ford

(Copyright 2015 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)

"A breezy bucketful of buggy braggadocio, with tasty nuggets of well-digested natural history stirred in."