Book Review: Shoo Fly! You Can't Eat Here

Shoo Fly! You Can't Eat Here
By Liller Hamilton
Outskirts Press, 2015
English, 24 pgs

Description:
He must have been very hungry because... The common housefly is an unwelcome pest that will find its way into your home, school, business, and even the White House to get a meal. But the kindergarten students in Shoo, Fly! are determined not to share their well-balanced lunches with a hungry fly! Children will enjoy reading this delightfully illustrated book on their own, and they will especially love it when you read the story to them and emulate the voice and action of each child. Shoo, Fly! also offers an opportunity for open-ended and critical-thinking discussion questions.

About the Author:
Liller Hamilton is a retired schoolteacher. During her tenure, she taught preschool for more than 20 years and was the recipient of numerous awards, including a three-time incentive award, Channel 6 TV Teacher of the Week, District Teacher of the Year, and an Excellence in Teaching award. Mrs. Hamilton also traveled abroad to exchange teaching methods and experiences with foreign countries. She still lives on a farm in the south where she was born and reared.

Review:
This is a cute, large format paperback book for a very young age child. My older kid has been reading it to the younger and they laugh so much through it that they don't always make it to the end. The phrase "Shoo Fly! You can't eat here!" has even made a few appearances at our dinner table!

The story is about a group of children who are eating a meal and a fly decides to infiltrate. It's hungry and their food looks good! It's healthy food and I guess the fly would rather eat healthy. You know, so it can keep buzzing around our heads all the time.

Anyway, the illustrations are on the left side of the page spread and it changes very subtly each time, depending on which child is shooing the fly. Their healthy lunch is on the table in front of them and they wave their hands at the fly to make it move along. 

 The story really is about healthy eating and it's very subtle in teaching that. It doesn't say "you should" but rather presents it as kids loving the good, healthy foods they're eating.

I sent this with my youngest to his Kindergarten class and the teacher said they all laughed and loved it! (She's far better at the voices than I am...)

I received a copy of the book for the purpose of a review on this blog and a commercial bookselling site. No additional compensation has been received and I was not required to write a positive review.