I, Fly is educational & fun about something that shouldn’t be

I, Fly, much like the book’s namesake comes up out of nowhere. This is an unassuming book that gets better, funnier and more interesting the more times that you read it. A fly comes in the window of a school room and asks the kids what they’re studying. I know that sounds like a bad joke, but in this case it’s how the book starts and it is quite funny to adults and children.  After reading the book several times to our children I think of flies in an entirely different light, although I do still valiantly try to smash them with the fly swatter.

The children are studying butterflies and the fly is understandably miffed about the fact that they receive all of the attention and glory. Our fly then goes on to point out the similarities between him and the butterfly, like the fact that they go through the same stages of metamorphosis.

It’s here that the fly hijacks the educational lesson from the kids and makes it all about him. We learn that the fly flaps his wings at 200 times a second, compared to the 5 to 12 times a second of the butterfly. They is why flies make that very annoying buzzing sound when they’re near you.  And they do it all with only two wings, as opposed to the four wings of a butterfly.

Flies can also do more tricks when they fly because of their halters, a pair of spinning things that are on their side.

About 2/3 through the book the fly ends his impromptu class and opens it up for questions. The kids ask the fly if it’s true that they throw up on their food, really spread diseases and about their relationship with mosquitoes. It’s the second question that gives the book its oomph and a bit of education.

The fly readily admits that he does spread disease because he lands on so many things with his dirty feet. However, he tells the class that he is actually clean because he scrubs himself whenever he lands due to the fact that his setae need to be clean. Setae are the little hairs on his body that help him sense things, but they can’t do their job when they’re dirty.

I did not know that flies have 500 babies and only live for 21 days.

I did not know that they actually do live through the winter, they simply lay their eggs in late fall and then wait for the spring to bring them to life.

I, Fly, The Buzz about flies and how awesome they are is a fun book for children in elementary school. It deals with nature and annoying insects in a way that makes them want to learn about them. The illustrations also give the fly a relatable quality by making the fly seem friendly and ……. cute.