Bye Bye Pesky Fly

Bye Bye Pesky Fly

Lysa Mullady, Author

Janet McDonnell, Illustrator

Magination Press, Fiction, May 14, 2018

Suitable for Ages: 4-8

Themes: Animals, Insects, Annoying behavior, Frustration, Tolerance, Friendship

Opening: Some days are good days. Calm, peaceful, and happy.

Synopsis: Pig is having a happy summer day thinking about the sunshine, rainbows and rolling around in a cool mud bath, until  Pesky Fly decides to BUZZ Pig’s nose and ears and follows Pig around the meadow. Suddenly Pig isn’t calm and peaceful anymore. He’s angry. What is a Pig going to do?  If he yells at the fly to go away, it will make matters worse. Running away doesn’t help. Pig wants to swat Pesky Fly, but he knows it isn’t a nice to hurt the fly. How is Pig going to solve this annoying situation.

Pig finds his happy space again and decides to ignore Pesky Fly. As Pig walks along the path whistling a happy tune, Pesky Fly continues to BUZZ Pig’s ears and lands on his nose. Pig takes a big risk and confronts Fly.  How will Pesky Fly respond? Will they be able to respect each other’s space and have a happy day together?

Why I like this book:

Lysa Mullady has written an empowering book that will help children learn to handle annoying situations. Children will absolutely relate to having a pesky fly buzzing in their faces or a classmate annoying them. This is a lovely analogy to someone invading your personal space — something kids may feel but not have the words to explain. It may not feel right and they back away.

I enjoyed how the story shifts from Pig’s to Fly’s perspective, which emphasizes empathy and compassion. Maybe Fly wasn’t buzzing to bully Pig on purpose, but wanted a new friend. This is a satisfying story with a feel-good ending.

Mullady’s engaging and witty text wraps itself creatively around Janet McDonnell’s cleverly exuberant and playful illustrations. The artwork is expressive, as you can tell by the cover. I like her use of white space. This book will elicit many giggles!

Resources: The book includes “A Note Parents and Caregivers” about helping children work through the frustrations and build positive friendships. This is a lively discussion book for home and school. The story teaches children social skills and working through problems together, with the hopes they can solve problems on their own.

Every Friday, authors and KidLit bloggers post a favorite picture book. To see a complete listing of all the Perfect Picture Books (PPB) with resources, please visit author Susanna Leonard Hill’s website. 

The publisher provided me with an advance copy of the book.

About Patricia Tiltonhttps://childrensbooksheal.wordpress.comI want "Children's Books Heal" to be a resource for parents, grandparents, teachers and school counselors. My goal is to share books on a wide range of topics that have a healing impact on children who are facing challenges in their lives. If you are looking for good books on grief, autism, visual and hearing impairments, special needs, diversity, bullying, military families and social justice issues, you've come to the right place. I also share books that encourage art, imagination and creativity. I am always searching for those special gems to share with you. If you have a suggestion, please let me know.

27 thoughts on “Bye Bye Pesky Fly”

  1. Cute. I love books with a pig as the main character. I could have used this book growing up because my brother was as pesty and annoying as a fly. Of course, we are best friends now.

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  13. Hmmm… I better make sure I keep my cupboards closed so you don’t see where I hide the fly swat. Not to mention the fly spray, should you ever pass through. 😉 Thankfully now it’s winter they aren’t around. Whew!

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