Astrid the Fly

PreS-Gr 1—Astrid would rather explore than help take care of her 43 baby brothers and sisters. When she can get away, she loves swimming in the sink, checking out the warm window (oven), using the see-me glass (mirror), or just looking around. When she's gone too long, her Aunt Ally tries to scare her with tales of the "big bang" (fly swatter), the "horrible inhaling machine" (vacuum), and the story of how Uncle Abe vanished. The young fly often explores at night to avoid those terrifying objects, but she loves the food she finds during the day, especially Danish salami. She explains that she once ate so much that she fell asleep next to it and found herself in a cold, dark place. Luckily, the light suddenly returned and she was able to escape and warm up by the flat, black sun (stove burner) and go home to the sofa. Now, "I eat only green things." Jönsson's spare illustrations are spot on. Her limited use of color in her line drawings is effective and the perspective is perfect—the flies are small without being tiny, there is plenty of detail but it's not overwhelming, and the flies have just the right expressions. It's a good precursor to Tedd Arnold's "Fly Guy" series (Scholastic).