A Fly Went by (Beginner Books(R))

This book offers those new readers the chance to read by themselves. This was the first book I read alone and without assistance. I later passed this along to my children. I most strongly recommend this book for parents and grandparents of pre-schoolers.

So a few reviewers were "appalled," "shocked," and "disgusted" with the violence contained in this book. For those of us familiar with it, this seems laughable.

The claim is that the mere presence of words like bite, kick, whip, and KILL is enough to either traumatize a child or, what's worse, persuade them that violence is appropriate or acceptable.

Methinks people need to be reminded how words work--namely, that it's not so much the mere presence of words like these (or the concepts of death, violence, and fear that they evoke), it's their *use* that's problematic. In other books. Looked at in this way, even after half a century, this book seems all the more appropriate with regard to violence.

Is the protagonist violent? Is anyone violent in this book? On the contrary, the boy has a keen sense of justice. Worried for the well-being of all the animals he sees, he is absolutely opposed to violence. No biting or eating or killing or whipping occurs. The boy talks to a cow that is terrified for her calf's safety--fears that he might be killed--and the boy confronts the would-be assassin courageously. He does not strike the fox, but reprimands it for pursuing the cow. He does threaten to whip the fox, but this was only in the context of saving a life. And after the fox expresses his own fears (the hunter), the boy quickly befriends the fox, seeking his justice as well. The boy volunteers to involve himself in the plight of a whole menagerie of animals afraid of violence and death, and expects nothing in return. Their happiness is its own reward, and he returns to sit by the lake and look at the sky.

Rather than censoring ANY reference to violence and death in your children's literature, maybe you should employ books like these to teach your children to stand up to injustice (particular for the sake of others!), and to stand up to bullies and to fear. I know whose children will be better off.

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.

This book was published in 1958, people! If the "violence" in this book is too much for you, I hope that you're ditching "Bambi", "Pinoccio" (especially the movie...they're drinking BEER for crying out loud!!), "Little Red Ridinghood", "Cinderella", "Peter Pan", "Aladdin", "Dumbo", "Beauty and The Beast", and just about every other children's book out there! If you're saying that the boy in the story shouldn't be saying that he's going to whip the dog or the fox, then I sure as heck hope that none of you are smacking your dogs for doing something wrong or spanking your child for doing something wrong because you would then be called a hypocrite! The point of this story is: IF YOU DON'T GET ALL OF THE INFORMATION FIRST, IT'S GOING TO LEAD TO A MISUNDERSTANDING! The cow only THINKS that the man is going to kill her baby because she didn't get all of the information! The man, presumably a farmer who has to keep away animals from his livestock, probably keeps a gun around, so naturally he's going to grab it to protect his investments! He's not a "faceless man" as someone said! Shouldn't you be more worried that a grown man is running around in his long UNDERWEAR in the middle of the day!?!!

Don't read this to your kid at night, read it during the day, just in case they get the wrong idea; but I HIGHLY doubt that a child is going to dwell on the fact that a man is carrying a gun! Are you going to make little Johnny put down his fake guns when he wants to play cops and robbers?

I loved this book as a child and recently started reading it to my daughter. I love the boy in this story - he sees a problem and sets out to solve it, and he is so firm and confident about it. When he finally finds the source of the problem (a misunderstanding) he explains it to all the animals, and then goes back to lounging by the lake with a great smile of satisfaction. It is not pedantic or overly sweet, but it makes you feel great every time you read it. I'm about to buy a new copy because my childhood copy is falling apart.

This book holds a special place for me, having read it as a young child (in the summer of 1961). . The feel of that summer is intertwined with the opening phrase "I sat by the lake and looked at the sky" - the rhyme and the illustrations continue to capture that sense of place and well-being -- If this sense could be inbued from a book for a lifetime (as it was with me) - to give just one happy childhood memory, then it would indeed be a priceless gift to pass on to a young child.

This book was published in 1958, people! If the "violence" in this book is too much for you, I hope that you're ditching "Bambi", "Pinoccio" (especially the movie...they're drinking BEER for crying out loud!!), "Little Red Ridinghood", "Cinderella", "Peter Pan", "Aladdin", "Dumbo", "Beauty and The Beast", and just about every other children's book out there! If you're saying that the boy in the story shouldn't be saying that he's going to whip the dog or the fox, then I sure as heck hope that none of you are smacking your dogs for doing something wrong or spanking your child for doing something wrong because you would then be called a hypocrite! The point of this story is: IF YOU DON'T GET ALL OF THE INFORMATION FIRST, IT'S GOING TO LEAD TO A MISUNDERSTANDING! The cow only THINKS that the man is going to kill her baby because she didn't get all of the information! The man, presumably a farmer who has to keep away animals from his livestock, probably keeps a gun around, so naturally he's going to grab it to protect his investments! He's not a "faceless man" as someone said! Shouldn't you be more worried that a grown man is running around in his long UNDERWEAR in the middle of the day!?!!

Don't read this to your kid at night, read it during the day, just in case they get the wrong idea; but I HIGHLY doubt that a child is going to dwell on the fact that a man is carrying a gun! Are you going to make little Johnny put down his fake guns when he wants to play cops and robbers?

I loved this book as a child and recently started reading it to my daughter. I love the boy in this story - he sees a problem and sets out to solve it, and he is so firm and confident about it. When he finally finds the source of the problem (a misunderstanding) he explains it to all the animals, and then goes back to lounging by the lake with a great smile of satisfaction. It is not pedantic or overly sweet, but it makes you feel great every time you read it. I'm about to buy a new copy because my childhood copy is falling apart.

This book holds a special place for me, having read it as a young child (in the summer of 1961). . The feel of that summer is intertwined with the opening phrase "I sat by the lake and looked at the sky" - the rhyme and the illustrations continue to capture that sense of place and well-being -- If this sense could be inbued from a book for a lifetime (as it was with me) - to give just one happy childhood memory, then it would indeed be a priceless gift to pass on to a young child.

I'm only inclined to write this review to counter the people that keep (in my opinion) over reacting to the fact that the word "kill" appears in the book and there is a man with a gun. Most of them say that they began skipping words, pages, chunks of the story to make it more "safe" for their young children.

First of all, I respect your right to raise your children in any way you see fit. They're your kids. They're likely to wind up as some sheltered and maladjusted young people when they get into elementary school, but they're your kids, so do what you want. You're not doing them any favors by hiding bad things from them. In my opinion, which is just that, my opinion, this book is perfectly safe for 3, 4, and 5 year olds.

Second, read the whole book. You'll see that the message is that sometimes fears are unfounded. Sometimes we over react. Some times there is a simple explanation to things. I find it hilarious that so many people are over reacting in the same manner that the animals are.

Finally, this book was recommended to me by a youth counselor that my 5 year old son sees for anxiety issues. After my nephew was diagnosed with cancer and started undergoing treatment, my son started having all sorts of worries, concerns, and even night mares. This book, and the conversations we have every time we read it, have helped my son see how unfounded some of his worries are. Kids, no matter how much we protect or shelter them, are going to be exposed to bad things. Using stories like this classic book, along with responsible discussion, is a fantastic way to help younger kids see that the boogie man they see in their closet, the wind noises they hear outside, or whatever it is that is causing them worry, may just be something silly and simple to explain.

I highly recommend this book to families that enjoy reading (and discussing) literature with their kids.

My three brothers and I loved this book as children. I can still remember our mother reading it forty years ago. The rhyme, rhythm and repetition of the text is perfect, and the illustrations are wonderful.
Glad to see it's still around for the next generation to enjoy.
The reviews are a bit perplexing, as so many of us love this book so much. I couldn't find a single review from someone who had read the book as a child saying it scared them or gave them nightmares. It may not be a book you would want to read to all two year olds but it's a book five year olds shouldn't miss.
"I sat by the lake. I looked at the sky, and as I looked, a fly went by..." Magic!

THANKFULLY this book was not "cleaned" up for today's politically correct society. I read this book as a child and loved it. My nephews and kids all read the exact same book as I did (hence why I need a new one) and I was worried the publisher would clean it up for the modern "I'm afraid of everything so no one should enjoy anything" society. Great job!

This is one of my favorite books from years ago. I recommend it for any young new reader! Great rhyming, helps learn to read, learn about nature, its just a good read with your youngster! It brings back memories with me and my mother and me and my son!

Dont worry about pics that could be interpreted differently - life is life. And thats part of the book!

This books writing style is almost like Dr. Suess. It was one of my fav books growing up. I liked it to much. The illustrations were so magical to be. To this day it holds a very special place in my heart.

This is a great classic children's tale. The repetition and rhyming keep younger children engaged, while the "what's going to happen next" factor keeps older ones attentive. The whole story conveys the atmosphere of a time when life was simpler, children were freer, and the world seemed larger. The whole family loves this little book.

Great book! I originally bought it for my son in the military so he could read it on Skype to his children. Before I sent it I read it (of course) and loved it. It can open up all sorts of discussions with your children. Use it and love it as much as I do. I will leave it for my son to share for now, but I will have other grandchildren to read it to soon.

I remembered this book from my childhood, along with "Stop That Ball" by the same author and illustrator. I love all the movement in the illustrations in both books. I recently started reading both to our 3 year old son, who likes them very much -- he enjoys the rhymes and repetition. But, I was shocked the first time through this book that it has a "man with a gun" and a fox who wants to kill a baby cow. In "Stop That Ball" a hilltop is blasted with TNT and the boy is warned not to try to get his ball out of a cannon that it goes into because "that thing could blow your head off!" I tend to skip over some of the language for now, but it's a pity that these elements are a part of these otherwise fun books.

This is a TERRIFIC picture book! It has everything children love--a "mystery" that builds page by page, fun rhyming text and lively illustrations. It's stood the test of time in our family--three generations have loved it. The message gets through, too, without bonking kids over the head. A must-have for a child's home library.

I was very upset when I read this book! Threatening words used in the tale included: "You want to kill the little cow! You stop, or I will whip you--NOW!" & "it can bite & kick & kill", and there were many other such references. These are violent & scarey words to a young child & promote the idea of violence as a way to solve disputes. How awful that an author wrote a book like this. Please Mr. Mike McMlintock, write children's stories without referring to violence. You have gifts to use, so please use them wisely! Thank You.