by Moe Zilla

Created on: May 20, 2010

Doreen Cronin had already written "Diary of a Spider" and "Diary of a Worm." But somehow, her zippy style feels even more appropriate for a fly. This little fly is nervous, because it's the first day of school.  "What if I'm the only one who eats regurgitated food?" he wonders on the book's first page.

But fortunately, he's not - and each page offers another glimpse at his life as an ordinary student in an elementary school of houseflies. ("Great news! Everyone eats regurgitated food!") There's a class on how to fly, and a science class that involves watching the humans. And there's even cameo appearances by the worm and spider from Cronin's previous books!

There's kind of a weird twist, since Spider's grandfather is later seen explaining to the fly that he's very important.  Why? Because flies are an important part of the food chain.  But in the next drawing, Worm is seen explaining to the fly exactly how that food chain works.  "That is so not cool," the fly complains - as Spider's grandfather sneaks up behind him with a fork!

The book is really just a series of jokes that double as a lesson about the life of (real) flies. The fly is taught in school that their average speed is 4.5 miles per hour, and that flies leap backwards before taking off. And then there's a funny illustration of the fly getting zonked by a frisbee that's been tossed to a dog. The fly then complains that they also should've taught him the imporance of having a flight plan...

But it must've been a fun book to illustrate, since every page basically requires the artist to imagine an entire fly society. (The fly's exasperated babysitter turns out to be a ladybug - and someone's taped a "Kick Me" sign to her back.) The illustrations are by Harry Bliss, a cartoonist for the New Yorker, and they have a sort of "one-off" feel to them. But there's moments of continuity, like when the babysitting ladybug returns for another evening - this time with a frog.

Needless to say, every single fly remains perfectly motionless throughout the entire evening...

Children will probably appreciate the jokes - while parents will appreciate all the educational content! But it takes a while before the book finds its way to a more heart-warming message. The perky young fly wants to be a superhero, though his friend Spider thinks the fly's skills aren't nearly as impressive. ("Superheroes bend steel with their bare hands. You eat horse manure with your feet.") But by the end of the book, Worm has his own thoughtful response - that the world needs all kinds of heroes.

And on the last page, this sends off the young fly with a smile on his face!

Learn more about this author, Moe Zilla.
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