I, FLY

Why study boring old butterflies in school when there’s a far buzzier insect on tap? A charismatic housefly eloquently states his kind’s case.

Sailing in through an open window in Plecas’ cartoon illustrations, the hairy, popeyed advocate wows a class by pointing out that flies too hatch from eggs and undergo metamorphosis. Better yet, they fly better with two wings (and balancing organs called halteres) than butterflies do with four, and instead of eating pretty flowers “like those fancy-schmancy caterpillars,” chow down on poop, trash and “Yum. Rotting fruit.” Following a Q-and-A that brings out some other less-than-savory truths (“No. We don’t throw up on everything. Only solid foods”), the vibrating visitor yaks out more fly facts, then takes a bow for the undeniably worthy work done by maggots everywhere. Even the onlooking butterfly is clapping by the end. The pictures incorporate chalkboard notes and charts to back up the fly’s overview of muscid physiology, habits and life cycle.

A breezy bucketful of buggy braggadocio, with tasty nuggets of well-digested natural history stirred in.