ACCESS DIGITIZED EDITION
Guide/Reviews Database
SCIENCE
Heavenrich, Sue

13 Ways to Eat a Fly

32 pp. | Charlesbridge | February, 2021 | Trade ISBN 978-1-58089-890-4 $16.99 | Ebook ISBN 978-1-63289-754-1 $9.99
(2) K-3 Illustrated by David Clark. There are 120,000 different kinds of flies, all of which have predators ready to devour them. But before the flies go down the hatch, they have to be caught, and that's the focus of this humorous and informative look at food preparation on the fly. The book does a countdown of thirteen different methods: frogs use their tongues to zap them; crab spiders snatch them with their long front legs; garden spiders employ a two-step process, first killing flies with venom and then ­wrapping them up "like a burrito." Trout wait until baby flies, or midges, hatch just above the water's surface and then simply leap and gulp. Clark's bright, digitally colored creatures, with exaggerated facial expressions, set the tone; visual humor abounds, including the recurring lineup of different species of fly that decreases by one as the countdown progresses. A witty text culminates with equally ­amusing back matter, from a food label listing nutritional information (one serving: 65–80 flies, "depending on species") that accompanies a ­tongue-in-cheek guide to fine fly dining, to a diagram labeling the edible parts of a fly. Appended with further reading and websites for ­children and a bibliography of sources. Bon ­appétit!
Reviewer: Betty Carter | Horn Book Magazine Issue: May, 2021

RELATED 

SCIENCE

How to Build an Insect
by Gibson, Roberta
SCIENCE

A Quick History of Math
by Gifford, Clive
SCIENCE

Butterflies Are Pretty...Gross!
by Mosco, Rosemary
SCIENCE

Summertime Sleepers
by Stewart, Melissa
SCIENCE

Birds
by Krestovnikoff, Miranda
More

Get connected. Join our global community of more than 200,000 librarians and educators.

This coverage is free for all visitors. Your support makes this possible.

We are currently offering this content for free. Sign up now to activate your personal profile, where you can save articles for future viewing.

ALREADY A SUBSCRIBER?