When the Fly Flew In . . . by Lisa Westberg Peters

by Lisa Westberg Peters

A darling tale about a dog chasing a fly and the mayhem that it caused.

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens, Animals, Fiction, Birds, Cats, Juvenile

Hardcover

First published September 1, 1994

About the author

Lisa Westberg Peters is a children's author and poet from St. Paul, Minnesota. Her books often have a scientific focus.

Reviews

[Cassandra Lemieux · Rating 4 out of 5]

1. Summary: This humorous books is about a fly who decides to disturb the sleeping animals. A young boy is asked the clean his room, but he replies by saying "I can't clean the room, the animals are sleeping" So the young boy is able to wait until the animals wake up. A fly comes in and wakes up all the animals and they go nuts trying to catch this pesky fly. In order to figure out what happens to the room you'll have to read!
2. grade level: k-2
3. Subject Area: Science/ English (Irony)
4. Students who enjoy animals or funny books would like this one!
5. Literature Circles: This could be a good book for small groups. Students could go around and each read a page. At the end the could discuss the book and how it has "irony"
6. Whole class: I think this is a good book to read aloud for transitions because it's short but also funny so it keeps younger students engaged
7. Related books: "Our Family Tree" "Volcano Wakes Up"
8. Multimedia: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uEVWa...

[Becky B · Rating 5 out of 5]

A child delays cleaning his room because the dog, cat, hampster and parakeet are all quietly sleeping. But when a fly comes in the room, suddenly the animals are all wide awake and chasing the fly (and inadvertently cleaning the room).

I love the combination of rich descriptive writing by Peters and high quality cartoon-style illustrations that tell this story. Kids will be mesmerized by the pictures and will wish they had a fly to help clean their room too. This book is a gold mine for language arts teachers. It can be used as a treasure hunt when learning about verbs, or adjectives, or adverbs, or prepositions. There are many, many superb examples of each. And it is a wonderful example for descriptive writing vs just boring or overused words.

[Kathryn · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is an odd children's book. The pictures are full of funky angles and my boys did not notice the difference in the room before and after until the second read when I pointed it out. I would only rate 2 stars but I've been out voted. But I liked the pictures, weird angles and all, as well as the colors. My kids freak out whenever a fly sneaks inside, which I think is the reason for their interest in the book. This was another 25 cent book from the library so no complaints from me on wasted money.

[The Brothers · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a great story about a kid who tells his mother he can't clean his room because all his pets are sleeping. Then a fly flew in... The fly taunts and teases the animals in such a way that in their scramble to get him, they end up tidying the room. Oh, if only this could be true!

Illustrations are a groovy fun time.

[Rachel Page · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is one of the books in the library of my second-grade classroom. I would not consider it to be educational but I think it is a fun book for transition time and would keep children engaged easily. It is about a messy room that gets "cleaned" by pets. I would use this in my classroom if our room was really messy. After I read the book, I would have a student clean-up time around the room.

[Matthew · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fly inadvertently cleans a room simply by being the target of capture for every other animal in the room and outmaneuvering them. A dog, a cat, a gerbil, and a parrot all give chase in turn and tidy up some part of the room without realizing it. In the end, the fly escapes, the other animals are exhausted, and the room is clean from top to bottom.

[Wasif · Rating 2 out of 5]

Fly is in the house. The dog saw it star chasing it, The cat saw it she start chasing it, Then the hamster saw it and start chasing it. Every thing is messy in a room but when a boy inter in his room everything is clean.

[Raelyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Illustrations are gorgeous watercolor paintings and show the perspective from a small fly as he finds himself surrounded inside a house. 3 pets chase this fly around, inadvertently helping a young boy with a chore. Humorous and creative story, the pictures make it a 5 star read-aloud to children!

[Jeani · Rating 3 out of 5]

Makes us giggle every time!

[Maria · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is about if a fly comes to your home and your pets try their best flew it away. Pictures are very nice.

[Makaylia McDonald · Rating 5 out of 5]

This story explains how a fly can be distracting, even to animals. I know from experience that my dogs love to chase flies and try to eat them, but the flies always get away.

[Kelly Chester · Rating 5 out of 5]

Super great book

[Shayla · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is about a messy room and a cat, dog, hamster, and parakeet taking a nap. A fly buzzes into the room and disturbs their slumber. They all take their turn into trying to capture the fly, but to no avail. But the animals do manage to clean the room while they are chasing the fly.
I love this book! I feel like the whole time the fly is buzzing around, he is staying out of reach and flying everywhere so that the room can get cleaned. The pictures are great, and the text describes what is going on very well.
I would share this book with my children because it’s a neat book. It shows that these animals can work together to almost catch a fly and clean their masters room at the same time. It’s a very cute book.

[Bridget · Rating 3 out of 5]

My youngest is terrified of bugs, especially flies, in the house. All of the color drains out of his face if he sees a fly.

So, couldn't understand when he wanted to read this book. Big drawings of a fly wreaking havoc through their house. He liked it and wanted to read it again later. Maybe it will help with a bug breakthrough. :)

[Tricia · Rating 2 out of 5]

Steve says the girls didn't get it and he had to explain it to them. While it was kind of cute, it failed to deliver the message of what was going on. Upon review of the book, I see the Napping House with animals only...

[J-Lynn Van Pelt · Rating 3 out of 5]

A dog, a cat, and a bird try to take a nap in the little boy's dirty room. But, when a fly comes in, they each try to catch it. As they run about the room, they accidentally clean it.

The watercolor pictures are full page and show the animals in motion, but sometimes with odd angles.

[Meg McGregor · Rating 4 out of 5]

A cute story - the use of repetitive language helps move the story along and the whimsical illustrations will grab your little one's attention!

Now, send that fly over to my house! I have a few rooms he can clean.

[Jenna Arntz · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was okay, definitely not one of my favorites. The pictures are well illustrated and funny. Children would enjoy his book for the pictures, but the story is pretty dull. It doesn't explain well how the animals clean up the room, it seems as though they just made an even bigger mess.

[Nikki · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a fun bedtime story. A fly pesters some animals, and the animals in the ruckus of chasing the fly, cleans the messy bedroom.
I love the illustrations!!!

This is Guided Reading Level K
DRA 18

[Tristan Doane · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book shows an odd relationship between animals. Even though flies are annoying, they give the animals something to do without being lazy. The same can be said with chores and children doing them. They may seem annoying at first, but we all have to do them sooner or later.

[Greta · Rating 5 out of 5]

Don't we wish all rooms could be cleaned this way?!

[Rebecca Mullins · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a great cause-effect book. The illustrations are humerous and the book is funny. It's great for 1-3 grade.

[Beth · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved the descriptive, sensory language. Great mentor text for adding detail to writing.

[Alice · Rating 3 out of 5]

I like the pictures...but the book was dull. I found my mind drifting off....hoping the fly would just go away!

Not a favorite of the day ! :-(

[Jessica · Rating 4 out of 5]

Once again, the illustrations are incredible!

[Louisa Verma · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cute book! It might be a good way to explain the concept of entropy to kids!