Books.org participates in affiliate programs including Bookshop.org and the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program. We may earn a commission from qualifying purchases made through links on this page, at no additional cost to you.
Synopsis
"A fly was flying. He was looking for something to eat. Something tasty. Something slimy. A boy was walking. He was looking for something to catch. Something smart. Something for The Amazing Pet Show."
The boy and fly meet and so begins a beautiful friendship. Er, and so begins a very funny friendship. Using hyperbole, puns, slapstick, and silly drawings, bestselling author/illustrator Tedd Arnold creates an easy reader that is full of fun.
NARRATED by Skip Hinnant
Author and artist Tedd Arnold was born in Elmira, NY on January 20, 1949. His family lived on a farm in Pennsylvania for several years before moving to Gainesville, Florida. There, Tedd began taking his first art lessons in an abandoned dentist’s office, which eventually led him to graduate with a B.F.A. from the University of Florida. He is married to Carol Clark, a teacher, and has two children. Carol introduced Tedd to the idea of writing and illustrating children’s books while he was working as a commercial illustrator. Tedd’s first son, Walter, inspired his breakthrough picture book, No Jumping on the Bed!, and his second son William its sequel, No Water in the Tub! Tedd has published more than 30 books, and in his spare time enjoys tennis, sketching, reading, coin collecting, and computers. He is currently living with his family in Elmira, NY, as a free-lance author and illustrator.
Publishers Weekly
A fly went flying," opens Arnold's (Parts) brief, playful tale, structured in three chapters. At the same time, "A boy went walking." The winged fellow is looking for food and the boy is searching for a critter for the upcoming Amazing Pet Show. The two equally and comically bug-eyed beings meet when the fly collides with the human hero's nose ("boink") and the lad captures it in a glass jar. After the infuriated insect stomps his foot and says, "Buzz!" the amazed boy replies, "You know my name! You are the smartest pet in the world!" Buzz shows his new pet, which he names Fly Guy, to his parents; his father announces that flies are pests and grabs a swatter-until the sly fly lands on Buzz's nose and calls him by name. In one of the book's funniest pictures, Fly Guy is dwarfed by the hot dog Buzz places in his jar, most of which he happily consumes. Though the pet show judges tell Buzz that flies don't qualify as pets, Fly Guy rises to the occasion and wows the judges with various feats, clinching the prize for smartest pet. Suitably wacky cartoon art accompanies the text, which is simple enough for beginning readers ready to soar to a chapter-book format. Ages 4-8. (Sept.) Copyright 2005 Reed Business Information.