A Fly Went By [Hardcover]

Mike McClintock (Author), Fritz Siebel (Author)

Book Description

Age Level: 5 and up | Grade Level: K and up | Series: Beginner Books(R)

Illus. in color. A fly goes by, followed by a frog, who's chased by a cat, who's chased by a dog and a host of other frantic characters, in a humorous cumulative tale.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"The writing is merry and the pictures are real fun. Recommended."--School Library Journal.  

From the Inside Flap

Illus. in color. A fly goes by, followed by a frog, who's chased by a cat, who's chased by a dog and a host of other frantic characters, in a humorous cumulative tale.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 5 and up
  
• Hardcover: 72 pages
• Publisher: Random House Books for Young Readers (September 12, 1958)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0394800036
• ISBN-13: 978-0394800035
• Product Dimensions: 6.9 x 0.4 x 9.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (53 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #77,783 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

18 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great rhymes, good message, April 8, 2005

By 

Pauline J. Alama "Fantasy author" (Rutherford, NJ United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: A Fly Went By (Hardcover)

"The fly ran away in fear of the frog
Who ran from the cat, who ran from the dog..."

This book reads like a kid's version of the cold war comedy "The Russians are coming, the Russians are coming," because everyone is afraid someone else is out to get them, and fear makes them do foolish things.

As an antidote to some of the past reviews I've seen, I want to point out that NO ACTUAL VIOLENCE occurs in this book. It is considerably less violent than classic children's tales like the Three Little Pigs and Little Red Riding Hood. The characters are only AFRAID that someone is out to get them. That's the whole point of the story.

Only the child narrator is fearless enough to confront each animal in turn and get to the root of all the fear, which is a misunderstanding. This message is put across in catchy rhymes that repeat in longer and longer sequences of who runs from whom, in the "house that Jack built" sort of pattern that small children especially enjoy. My one-and-a-half-year-old son and I have had a lot of fun with this book.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fantastic book with important developmental themes, November 22, 2009

By 

T. Zamarron (MI) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: A Fly Went By (Hardcover)

I have a child development degree (in addition to a child of my own) and I feel this is a great book with good concepts. It uses simple, familiar words and repetition to help beginning readers become confident in their abilities. It rhymes and has a chain-effect/cause and effect story to help children start developing those concepts. It teaches a very important lesson and has a cute plot. I don't know why people think it's violent. If they think a hunter (who isn't even hunting, he's a big fraidy cat running away from a little lamb) is violent, I hope they don't let their children watch Bambi (Bambi's dad is shot), The Lion King (Mufasa is MURDERED and the hyenas talk about murder), Fox and the Hound (Again, a hunter kills...), etc. I also hope they don't let their children read How The Grinch Stole Christmas because if they believe this book is violent then I wonder what they think of the Grinch's identity theft, breaking and entering and grand larceny, even if it does teach a valuable lesson in the end. This book is all in good fun and has an ideal outcome. It isn't scary, and no one gets hurt. It teaches children to think critically and problem solve. It also encourages them to help others. In the end everyone realizes how silly they were for being afraid of the unknown and the whole thing was just a bunch of misunderstandings.It is true to life, a fly would be chased by a frog, a cat by a dog, etc. My entire family has loved it for three generations now, and I'm very glad my mom dug it out of a storage box for my little girl.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars My Favorite Childhood Book, November 22, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: A Fly Went By (Hardcover)

While in a neighborhood store I spotted a small boy carrying this book. I told him it was my favorite book when I was a child and we spent a wonderful 5 minutes in line discussing "which animal came next". Classics do stand the test of time.