I Spy Fly Guy by Tedd Arnold

Image

Figure 1. I Spy Fly Guy book cover (2019).

Evaluation of Book

I Spy Fly Guy by Tedd Arnold tells a cute story about a boy named Buzz with a pet fly, Fly Guy. The two play hide-and-seek on trash day. Because Fly Guy always hides in the trash can, he accidentally gets taken to the dump. Buzz goes to find him. Upon realizing that thousands of flies live at the dump, he gives up on the game so Fly Guy will find him.

The main feature of the story is the plot. Tedd Arnold weaves a tale of two unlikely friends that love to learn from and play with each other. For this story, the understatement is that Buzz can always find Fly Guy since he hides in the same place every time. However, this time the playing field moves to the dump, a place saturated with flies. And because Buzz loves his pet, he willingly loses the game because finding his friend matters more. A wonderful story of friendship and knowing that having each other matters more than anything else.

The illustrations work well with establishing the setting. Two examples around the house are the trashcan and garden shed where Fly Guy and Buzz hide during hide-and-seek. For the trashcan, the artist goes inside of the trashcan with Fly Guy so the reader can see what he stands on, surrounds him, and eats. Then for the garden shed, the artist allows the reader to see through the outer wall, showing the entire inside and where Buzz hides from Fly Guy. Then in the second chapter, the location moves to the dump where the artist gives a birds-eye view plus close-ups as Buzz walks around, trying to find Fly Guy. The reader gains a true grasp of the setting due to the illustrations.

The illustrations also reinforce the text because each event that the text describes plays out in the pictures. The reader sees Buzz and Fly Guy playing hide-and-seek, can tell the Dad is on his way to work due to the lunch bag he is holding, and gets a close-up view of mean flies hurting Buzz as he attempts to find Fly Guy. The illustrations also display the emotions of Buzz panicking when the garbage truck takes his pet away and the angry welt caused by a fly biting Buzz. Each page of illustrations supports the story provided in the text on that page.

Response

Reading I Spy Fly Guy by Tedd Arnold reconnected me to my childhood and owning a pet. Admittedly, my parents did not allow insects nor reptiles to enter as pets, but my dog named Dog fits the bill for a best friend that I played with often. And one day the pound picked him up because Dog got out. And like Buzz, I cajoled my Mom into taking me to pick him up because I agree that pets’ matter in our world. I wanted my dog back, even if that meant giving up my birthday money to get him out of the pound. And for reminding me of this fond memory, I appreciate this story. To sum up, I found it entertaining to read and heartwarming to know that kids still need and love their pets. I am thankful my son also has a pet dog as a friend.

Conclusion

I Spy Fly Guy by Tedd Arnold is a fun read that works great with pre-school and elementary students. The cartoon art with exaggerated features of Buzz and Fly Guy works wonders for telling a fun story that kids will want to read over and over. Out of four stars, I give this book four.

Citation

Arnold, T. (2009). I spy Fly Guy. New York, NY: Cartwheel Books.

Willis, C. (2019). I spy Fly Guy book cover (photo). Retrieved March 15, 2019 from https://drive.google.com/file/d/1-iSZ-BqoPv3YUhXAcku-E9TKh0rlmHvP/view?usp=sharing