13 Ways to Eat a Fly

K-Gr 3--Thirteen short, rhyming answers are given to this question: How do birds, fish, mammals, and insects capture and eat flies? Some of these feeding methods are described as "zapped," "wrapped," and "underground." Each of these tactics is explained in a descriptive paragraph of two or three sentences that centers on a specific animal and how it eats flies. For example, a garden spider captures a fly in its web, injects its prey with poison, and then wraps it in silk so that it resembles a burrito. Each paragraph is accompanied by a large illustration or two. These colorful illustrations are clear, but often humorously exaggerated. The text concludes that flies are a major food source for many animals. Educators could use this book for multiple lessons. The rhyming "ways" to eat a fly could be adopted for choral reading, with some of the factual information also included. Children could discuss how different animals capture and eat flies as food. VERDICT A lighthearted nonfiction picture book that could easily be used with young children in different ways.--Myra Zarnowski, City Univ. of New York