The kids highly recommend this cool story for beginning readers.

I always love it when I take on a book with the kids that’s below their reading level; it’s incredibly gratifying, as a parent, to watch them really consider whether or not this book would be suitable for younger kids. It’s also more than a little entertaining to watch them try to figure out if they think they should be “too old” or “too cool” to like the younger books. Heh.

When Super Fly Guy came out in paperback this month, I knew we had to check it out.

Me: Did anything seem familiar to you about this book?
Daughter: I don’t think we’ve read any other Fly Guy books…?
Me: No, we haven’t. The illustrations—remind you of any other books?
Daughter: Oh! Wait, did he do the Black Lagoon books?
Me: Nope, that’s Jared Lee, though I do see the similarities.
Son: Parts!
Me: That’s right, he wrote Parts. You used to love that book! I kept thinking about it while I was reading this, and it made me giggle. Tedd Arnold is a very expressive illustrator.
Son: Yeah, Fly Guy is cool-looking. Plus he can talk!
Daughter: Only because everything he ends up wanting to say ends in a ‘zzz’ sound. Buzz, Roz, Mizz Muzz.
Son: Well, yeah, but it was still pretty funny. A talking fly!
Me: So would you have liked to read this, as a beginning reader?
Daughter: Definitely, because it has chapters and more than just little words, but it’s still pretty easy.
Son: And it’s funny, so you want to read. Who doesn’t think a talking fly is funny?
Me: So… if you were a beginning reader, would you rather read Fly Guy, or Green Eggs and Ham?
Daughter: Hmmm. I’d read this first, I think. But I really do love Green Eggs and Ham.
Me: Fly Guy or Where the Sidewalk Ends?
Daughter: Fly Guy for reading, myself, because Where the Sidewalk Ends actually has some pretty hard words. So if I was just getting good at reading, Fly Guy.
Me: Okay, what was the best part?
Son: The garbage soup! Those pictures were hilarious. Also I like that it has a happy ending.
Daughter: I like when they show him riding in the car with his tongue hanging out like a dog.
Me: I liked it when Roz decided he was Super Fly Guy. Though I was sad when she got fired. It worked out okay, I guess.
Son: I also liked when they went nuts with the flyswatter trying to get him. He was too fast! But it made a big, funny mess.

Fly Guy is a whole new breed of superhero. One who licks garbage, to be sure, but he’s still pretty super.

Pros: We love Tedd Arnold’s squiggly illustrations! Great for emerging readers. Fly Guy is pretty awesome.

Cons: Garbage soup. Flyswatters and the messes they make. Getting fired.

Super Fly Guy getzzz three enthuzzziazzztic thumbzzz up from our kitchen table. That’zzz a fact!