When the Fly Flew In . . . - Hardcover

Lisa Westberg Peters

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0803714319 ISBN 13: 9780803714311

Publisher: Dial, 1994

Synopsis

Although a young child puts off cleaning the bedroom because all the family's pets are asleep there, the sudden arrival of a zooming fly mysteriously gets the job done

About this title

From Kirkus Reviews

The child has a unique reason to postpone tidying his room- -four animals are asleep there, and he's loathe to disturb them. A fly that zooms in has no such compunctions. The huge dog leaps to catch it, his plumey tail inadvertently sweeping toy dinosaurs from floor to toy box and dirty clothes from bureau-top to laundry basket. The cat, taking up the chase, acts as a dust-mop, while the hamster nibbles up the crumbs and stray raisins that entice the buzzing insect. Last, the parrot leaves her perch, failing to catch the fly (which sails back out the window) but dislodging several cobwebs. Then, in the now immaculate room, the animals go back to sleep. Peters's (Water's Way, 1991, etc.) narration is brisk, and the premise is sure to tickle young imaginations, but best are Sneed's dynamic watercolor illustrations. Using close-ups, dramatic three-point perspectives, and a creative variety of full-bleed art and frames from which his animated characters escape at every turn, he alternates pell-mell action with peaceful interludes to bring out the story's full comic potential. Good, solid slapstick. (Fiction/Picture book. 4-8) -- Copyright ©1994, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

Ages 5-7. Here's fun, especially for all those kids who wish someone else would clean up their rooms. In this case, it's the pets who do the straighteningthough inadvertently. A dog, a cat, a hamster, and a parakeet are all snoozing away in a messy room. Enter a fly. Suddenly, the dog is up chasing the intruder. He switches his tail, tossing toys back in their place and batting moldy fruit into the waste basket in the process. The long-haired cat scoots all around the floor like a feline dustmop. The hamster follows the fly as it lands on raisins and candy and then gobbles the goodies, while the parakeet zooms after the fly and cleans away the cobwebs. The fly escapes, of course, but leaves a clean room in his wake. This works on every level. The concept is one kids will adore, and the expertly crafted pictures are full of fun while making the most of perspectiveflies on walls, cats glowering down from tabletops, hamsters peeking out of shoes. Just one look at the book's cover, featuring the dog with the fly on his nose, and this will be flying off the shelf. Ilene Cooper

Edition details

• Publisher: Dial
• Publication date: 1994
• ISBN 10: 0803714319
• ISBN 13: 9780803714311
• Binding: Hardcover
• Language: English
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 32
• Illustrator: Brad Sneed