Flies (Animals in Order) [Library Binding]

Sara Swan Miller (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 2006 | Age Level: 9 and up | Grade Level: 4 and up | Series: Animals in Order

An introduction to flies, a taxonomic order of insects, that includes descriptions of fourteen species and recommendations for finding, identifying, and observing them.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Gr 3-5-Not all flies deserve to be swatted! As this lucid introduction demonstrates, some species behave in ways that benefit humankind. After briefly describing some general characteristics and explaining the basics of scientific classification, Miller profiles 14 different kinds of flies on separate double-page spreads. A sharp, full-color close-up of an adult of each species accompanies the text. Chapter headings provide the common and scientific names of the species discussed, and their average sizes. The last chapter provides guidelines on observing flies outdoors. While this title is clearly written and well organized, it omits some useful information. There is not much detail on anatomy-flies' compound eyes are not mentioned, for instance. The last chapter, which suggests that readers do field research, does not mention the necessity for adult supervision. Another minor flaw-there are some tinges of anthropomorphism. While there are a number of general introductions to insects that include flies, there are few books specifically on this subject. Barrie Watts's Fly (Silver Burdett, 1997) concentrates solely on the greenbottle fly and is aimed at younger readers. Despite some minor flaws, this book will be a useful addition.-Karey Wehner, San Francisco Public Library

Copyright 1998 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 9 and up
  
• Library Binding: 48 pages
• Publisher: Franklin Watts (June 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0531114864
• ISBN-13: 978-0531114865
• Product Dimensions: 9.5 x 8.2 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #4,260,743 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4.0 out of 5 stars Interesting...and kinda gross too!, May 16, 2007

By 

Amy Graham (Scottsdale, AZ) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Flies (Animals in Order) (Paperback)

This is a fine starter series for kids interested studying different animals. Flies: From Flower Flies to Mosquitoes is our most recent adventure with the wonderful and interesting Animals in Order series...what can I say, my kids just can't get enough of these! What I like a great deal about this is that it takes time at the beginning of the book to look at (briefly) what makes an animal fly, specifically getting into what traits exactly make an insect a fly. The book then goes into the "order" of living things which details the kingdom, phylum and class , order, family and species (with a handy visual chart for reference, great for younger kids, so they can SEE how it works rather than just read it or have it read to them). This is one of the better features of this series and the exact text appears in each book. Next the text goes specifically into where flies fit into animal kingdom, breaking it down (in words and pictures again) to kingdom (animal), phylum (arthropod), class (insect) and order (fly). In this section we learn that there are 30 different orders of insects -- flies make up ONE of them -- and that about 25% of all insects are flies!

The book also talks a bit about where flies fit into food chain and where they can be found in habitats including fields & gardens; your house; the woods, and around ponds & streams. . Flies: From Flower Flies to Mosquitoes goes from there into an overview of fourteen species complete with full page, color photographs for each one, which really serve to bring the information to life. This section includes Family, Common Example, Genus and Species and Size for each fly discussed and each animal is given one full page for written description and one full page COLOR photo...excellent for fully engaging the reader! Insects included here are flower flies, fruit flies, house flies, horse flies, dance flies, mosquitoes, and marsh flies.

Overall, a fantastic way to introduce various types of artiodactyls to your curious young reader! What you get in . Flies: From Flower Flies to Mosquitoes is an excellent overview of cross section of types of flies. Like some of the other books in the series on insects and bugs, . Flies: From Flower Flies to Mosquitoes includes a section, at the end, on how to be a fly watcher, which is always a welcome addition (hands on is always a good way to bring information in books alive for young readers). As always with this series, I was pleased to find that at the end of the book the author/publisher also included a short recommended reading list and some really great web pages to do more research on...the kids in particular LOVED this! The books in this series would make a wonderful addition to a classroom library or as gifts for your favorite young reader who has a passion for animals; the information here is scientifically presented, accented with wonderful color photos and is both interesting and informative!