Hi! Fly Guy Book

Does any series delight beginning readers more than Tedd Arnold's Fly Guy? This tenacious bug has earned a place in the hearts of kids, and it all started in 2005 with the release of Hi, Fly Guy!. The fly doesn't seem extraordinary on page one. He crosses paths with a boy who is wandering the neighborhood hoping to capture a pet to enter in The Amazing Pet Show. The boy scoops up the fly in a glass jar, but is amazed when the insect seems to say his name. "Buzz!" A creature that can speak human language is a shoo-in to win a prize at the pet show. Buzz's parents are initially skeptical'his father comes at his son's new pet with a flyswatter'but they too are amazed when the fly seems to say Buzz's name. Fly Guy, as Buzz decides to call him, becomes permanently loyal after the boy feeds him an entire hotdog with mustard. Yum...No other housefly eats so well. Fly Guy could get used to this.

Buzz is proud of his pet, but the judges at The Amazing Pet Show mock him for entering Fly Guy in the contest. Are they right, Buzz wonders? Is he silly for thinking Fly Guy can be his pet as a dog, cat, or...giraffe (?) would be? Buzz sadly opens the jar to free his winged friend, but Fly Guy isn't ready to give up. He likes this kid, and is more than competent to prove himself to the judges. Fly Guy just might earn the most coveted prize of the night'one based on merit rather than good looks or physical measurements'as he and Buzz begin a friendship to rival any in children's literature. The two have lots of adventures ahead.

How should you react when people say you can't possibly be friends with someone different than you? The scorn can pressure you to distance yourself from a valued relationship, but if your pal is like Fly Guy, he won't stand by while you're goaded into taking action you'll regret. He'll use his smarts and other assets to prove that quirky pairings can be the most rewarding of all. Hi, Fly Guy! is a nice story, and pound for pound one of the funniest easy readers you'll encounter. Tedd Arnold's knack for humorous visuals and writing is superb. I'd consider rating the book two and a half stars, and this is a series worth reading more of. I'm not surprised kids love it.