The Fly

Les petits dégoûtants #2

by Elise Gravel

The first in a series of humorous books about disgusting creatures, The Fly is a look at the common housefly. It covers such topics as the hair on the fly's body (requires a lot of shaving), its ability to walk on the ceiling (it's pretty cool, but it's hard to play soccer up there), and its really disgusting food tastes (garbage juice soup followed by dirty diaper with rotten tomato sauce, for example). Although silly and off-the-wall, The Fly  contains factual information that will both amuse and teach at the same time.

Genres: Nonfiction, Picture Books, Childrens, Animals, Humor, Science, Graphic Novels

32 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2012

Reviews

[Dream.M · Rating 3 out of 5]

خیلی کیوت

[Melki · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gravel presents a highly entertaining, and surprisingly informative look at the pesky being known as the common housefly. This is a true treasure for kids (and adults) who like their science facts down, dirty, and kinda gross.

I love this gal's artwork!

[sAmAnE · Rating 4 out of 5]

مجموعه‌ی موجودات حال بهم زن شامل خصوصیات و ویژگی‌های حشرات مضر به زبان کودکانه و با لحن کمدی هست که به نظرم خیلی مجموعه‌ی بانمک و جالب و آموزنده‌ای بودند.

[Hossein · Rating 4 out of 5]

يه عنوان يك كتاب تقريبا علمي، براي بچه هاي سال هاي اول دبستان خيلي خوب بود. تصويرپردازي و طنزش هم به جذابيتش مي افزود.

[حسن صنوبری · Rating 2 out of 5]

اسم و ایده خیلی جالب تر و بانمک تر از متن کتاب بود

[Mim_farahani · Rating 4 out of 5]

اطلاعاتی در مورد مگس‌ها که خیلی‌هاش رو نمی‌دونستم :)
خیلی جالب بود.

[Sadaf · Rating 4 out of 5]

به شدت گوگولیه

[Elyza · Rating 4 out of 5]

What an adorable book! I never thought I'd find a fly adorable but the cute illustrations in the book really sold me on it! The Fly was a very fun informative book, and I think children will enjoy reading it. I'm an adult and I quite enjoyed it! I can't wait to see what the other Disgusting Critters books will be like.

[pati · Rating 4 out of 5]

While humorous, the facts and fun don't confuse the underlying meaning of what flies are! YAY

[Tasha · Rating 4 out of 5]

The first and second books in the new Disgusting Critters series of nonfiction picture books, these books take a humorous look at the biology of a specific creature. The first book deals with flies, specifically the common house fly. Inside are all sorts of interesting facts like the fly being covered in hair and information on eggs and maggots. More disgusting aspects are played up, which should appeal to young children, like the diet of flies and how germ filled they are and why. The second book is about worms and focuses on their unique anatomy, such as having no eyes and no limbs. There is also a focus on habitat, diet and reproduction. Throughout both books, humorous asides are offered, making this one of the most playful informational book series around.

Gravel combines both humor and facts in her book. She keeps the two clearly defined, with the animals themselves making comments that add the funniness to the books. The facts are presented in large fonts and the design of the book makes the facts clear and well defined. These books are designed for maximum child appeal and will work well in curriculums or just picked up by a browser in the library.

The art in the books, as you can see by the covers, is cartoonish and cute. The entire effect is a merry romp alongside these intriguing animals. I know some people believe that books about science for children should be purely factual, but Gravel’s titles show how well humor and touch of anthropomorphism can work with informational titles.

Information served with plenty of laughs, these science titles will be appreciated by children and teachers. Appropriate for ages 5-8.

[Andrea · Rating 4 out of 5]

All my kids thought this book was really funny. Not the most factual, but definitely fun to read and appreciate these little creatures.

[Amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another buddy read with my little one

[Lori · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun and factual. Silly and serious. What more could a kid (or grownup) want from their nonfiction.
A great series that I would want to add to my classroom library.

[nazanin · Rating 2 out of 5]

واقعا بعد خوندنش انزجارم کم شده =))) خیلی کیوته. بقیشو میرسونید؟:))

[Åmîrö ghaderi (≡^∇^≡) · Rating 4 out of 5]

هم چندش هم بامزه

[Laura Salas · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun, engaging information! Even though the retro art and speech bubbles have a fiction feel, this book is full of interesting fly facts, too. I learned several new facts about flies, like that they have little bubbles of liquid on their feet that help them walk on walls and ceilings. Eeeuwww. Occasionally, the humor felt a little too forced to me, but usually it worked really well. After describing how a housefly spits digestive fluid on his food to soften it, we see a dinner scene:

Jonathan! Did you spit on your food?
Yeeeeessss, Mom.
There's a good boy.

Ha!

My only major gripe is that the ending feels very abrupt, like something was cut off. I looked a few times to make sure pages hadn't stuck together or something. But I really like this creative approach to animal info. Not nonfiction, but still informational. And a gross, good read!

[Lynn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fiction or non-fiction? Informational text combined with humor, part of the "Disgusting Critters" series. A mother fly, who can see in all directions, sees her son trying to snitch a "Doggie Doo" snack behind her back.
Illustrations rather than photos set on pale olive-green pages, the book is small, about 5"x8". Speech bubbles show the humor, and variety of font, set in black, or red or other colors provide the facts.
I think these would be fun to read and learn info in a fun way.

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a charming beginning to the 'Disgusting Critters' series. This illustrated book is packed with facts and gross information about flies. The sort of retro feel to the illustrations are a great pairing for what are some truly yucky bits of information such as "he spits or vomits a bit of digestive fluid on his meal to soften it." Recommended for 1st - 3rd grade readers, this book is both appropriate for report writing and fun, information reading.

[Carrie Gelson · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've said it once or twice this week at least. But I will say it again - pretty certain that this Disgusting Critters series is going to cause a nonfiction commotion in my classroom this fall. Nonfiction facts housed in a "fiction like" reader. Hilarious and amusing along with informative. Flies are irksome. Read this and find them a little bit charming.

[Kathy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great book for beginning readers with some factual information for the non fiction common core emphasis. The fly, a disgusting critter, is the first in a series.
The ick factor and the illustrations delighted my four year old granddaughter. Teachers and librarians will latch on to this series.

[Pam Page · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the first in the non-fiction critters series. While the book looks like a simple book about flies there is a good amount of information presented. Children will love the gross and disgusting facts (I did not!) and will look forward to more in this series.

[Earl · Rating 3 out of 5]

A disgusting yet delightful discovery, Elise Gravel's Disgusting Critters series introduces beginning readers to facts regarding certain familiar creatures. The humor and illustrations will appeal to kids and will want them to read more. Addicting for adults as well!

[melydia · Rating 3 out of 5]

A little kids' book about the common housefly. Some of the little asides are amusing, and there are a couple facts, but mostly it's little cartoon drawings about how flies like garbage. Over all, it struck me as the sort of book you'd buy for your roommate's nephew.

[Sherrie · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a fun look at at the pesky housefly! This a great way for kids to learn about one of the most annoying and disgusting household pests. I loved the illustrations and the comical content and will definitely be checking out the other books in the series.

[Etienne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Collection qui ressemble aux Savais-tu?, mais pour un public plus jeune. Mélange d'humour et d'informations sur les insectes présentés. Bien fait, permettre d'apprendre en s'amusant. Je crois que les enfants pourraient y trouver leur compte!

[Debra McEathron · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a story that discusses what flies are and what they eat. It is written in a cute but informational way. It is on a second grade reading level and has some higher vocabulary in the text.

[Jen · Rating 4 out of 5]

non fiction presented as fiction. charming illustrations, that would need to be accompanied with real photos of flies if this were for a report or something.

[Robin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gravel is one of my favorite illustrators, and her playful and informative Disgusting Critters series is a delightful way to introduce kids to basic biology.

[Rebecca Plaza · Rating 4 out of 5]

Early reader with a good model for sharing facts about a creature we know well but don't really like.
Buy it for the info and jokes.

[Michele Knott · Rating 3 out of 5]

Part of the disgusting critters series.
Gives basic information about the common housefly in a way that will attract young students to read and look at the humorous pictures.