After reading this title, the first thing I though of was Wallace Stevens’ poem, 13 Ways of Looking at a Blackbird. But blackbirds do not disappear in that poem. Here, the flies….meet their demise.
One
by
one.
And not just a single kind of fly. The reader watches 13 different kinds of flies—become someone else’s dinner.
Big flies,
small flies,
fat flies,
thinner.
Yum! These flies are someone’s dinner.
We might think of flies as pests.
But many animals—and plants—
depend on flies for food.
How do they meet their demise?
#13 is zapped…
#12 is wrapped….
#11 is eaten, waterbound.
#10 is eaten underground.
Notice how subtraction is involved. We’re doing math!!
And, oh, the visuals.
And oh, the fascinating description of what is actually happening to the fly.
Kids are going to—dare I say it?
Eat this book up! Did you know that a group of fly farmers is making protein powder from fruit flies?
The back matter showing the edible parts of a fly (e.g. abdomen – soft and chewy!!), and the Non-human Insectivore’s Guide to Fine Dining is a hoot for parents, too, with it’s reference to eating local.
It thrills my heart to see nonfiction done in such an entertaining, engaging, and informative way.
And those illustrations, well, kids will be “ew”-ing for good reasons. They’re fabulously icky and funny.
Activities:
Make an origami fly
Write a poem about 13 ways to _____ (fill in the blank). For example, 13 Ways to Eat a French Fry. Let your imagine run wild!
Visit the website PestWorld for Kids and learn more about different bugs, and even a few “pesty” rodents.
Title: 13 Ways to Eat a Fly
Author: Sue Heavenrich
Illustrator: David Clark
Publisher: Charlesbridge, 2021
Ages: 4-8
Themes: insects, predators, math (subtraction)
For more perfect picture book recommendations, please visit Susanna Hill’s blog.
Jilanne Hoffmann 
What a super idea for a book!! Congrats, Sue! I need to nab this one!
It fabulous in so many ways. I’m glad that it’s getting lots of love!
Two shares today. I love the illustrations, Sue! Can’t wait to read your fun STEM book! Congratulations!
You’ll love it, Patricia!
The illustrations grabbed me right out of the gate on this one and now I’m frustrated that I didn’t give it a closer look last night at Barnes and Noble. Thanks for the sneak peek inside; can’t wait to devour it.
There’s always time to go back to the bookstore, LOL. Always. You’ll love it!
Once I get my hands on this book, I will surely never be able to look at a fly the same way again! But I’m still looking forward to it!
Ha! You’ll love it!
This looks like a fascinating read, although I’m not sure I want to eat any insects anytime soon!
You sure? Very high in protein, LOL.
Thanks so much Jilanne, for featuring 13 Ways today. I’m sure after reading it some kids will be cooking up new ways to devour dipterans.
Thank YOU, Sue, for writing such a fabulous book! And cheers to David for making pictures that really draw kids in!
You and Vivian are on the same wave length this week! I love what Sue did with this book! Can’t wait to try your origami fly!
Yes, we should have coordinated, LOL. This book is really fantastic. So many details that add up to more than the sum of their parts.
Never thought I’d feel sorry for a fly… 😥
LOL, it’s a bug eat bug world.
Such a great book! Leave it so Sue to make fly-eating fun! 😊
Yes! It is! Between this book and Kate Messner’s Chirp, I wonder how much more promotion insect protein is going to get!