Hi! Fly Guy

Arnold, T. (2005). Hi! Fly guy. New York: Scholastic.

Genre: Easy to Read
Format: Chapter Book
Age Recommendation: 5-7 years

Hi! Fly Guy is the perfect introductory chapter book to young readers. With simple sentence structures and illustrated pictures, readers will learn the story of a newly formed friendship between a boy named Buzz and his pet fly, Fly Guy. At first, Buzz's parents try to swat the little fly and tell their son that a fly isn't suitable for a pet, but they soon discover how smart Fly Guy is and make him at home. Then in the last chapter, Buzz tries to enter Fly Guy in an amazing pet show, but everyone laughs at him because, once again, "Flies can't be pets. Flies are pests!" Yet Fly Guy shows his stuff with some fancy flying and in the end impresses everyone and wins the award for smartest pet.

I would recommend this book for children ages five to seven. They'll love the fact that a fly is the main character, and they'll especially feel a sense of accomplishment at being able to read entire chapters, even though a chapter is merely a few simple sentences. The illustrations are fun and cartoonish, yet the text seems to be a little lacking, which is mostly due to the fact that no complex sentences are used. Overall, it's a cute plot but a mediocre execution, yet I would still recommend it to librarians and teachers as a means of introducing chapter books to young children.

Knickerbocker, A. (2006, February 1). Hi! Fly Guy [A review of the book Hi! Fly Guy]. School Library Journal. Retrieved May 5, 2010 from http://www.schoollibraryjournal.com/article/CA6304147.html?q=hi+fly+guy.

Short and sweet, Knickerbocker goes straight to the point and gives a brief overview of the plot of the book. She then goes on to say "the cartoon illustrations showing characters with exaggerated wide eyes are delightful, but the text is somewhat weak and disjointed." That's really all she had to say of the book, and given the short length of the book there isn't much more to be said, but I think in order for a review to be considered good an author must go into more depth. I agree with her on what she said, yet wish she had gone into more detail.