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Humorous illustrations and a rhyming text tell the story of a pesky black fly who taunts various animals and quickly flies away

This charming, original picture book offers a lively text and quirky, unusual illustrations. A ``pesky black fly'' buzzes around a farmyard, bothering the animals and taunting, ``No matter how hard you try try try you can't catch me!'' After a full day of pestering, the fly settles to rest on a rock thatunfortunately for himhappens to be the shell of a dozing turtle. The turtle wakes up, sees his guest ``and that was the end of the bothersome fly.'' Oppenheim's rhyming text has the rhythm and energy of a folk song. And Shachat has avoided the temptation of making his animal creations overly cute. The fly itself is a hairy, ugly creep and its adversaries convey their irritation expressively. It's a fortuitous collaboration; children will enjoy the book's zesty vitality. (2-5) Copyright 1986 Cahners Business Information.

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PreS-Gr 2 A monotonous tale that describes the antics of a pesky black fly as he moves through the countryside provoking the animals. With each escape he brags, ``No matter how hard you try/ try/ try/ you can't catch me!'' Eventually he antagonizes the wrong animal, and that mistake leads to his demise. The repetitive verse, reminiscent of The Gingerbread Man, is humorous but at times forced. The unappealing paintings minimize the usefulness of this book. The animals, including the fly, have unattractive, exaggerated features that detract from the text. Orvella Fields, Indianapolis-Marion County Public Library Copyright 1987 Cahners Business Information.