Pick of the Day: Hi! Fly Guy (DVD)

Hi! Fly Guy. DVD. 7 min. Weston Woods. 2012. ISBN 978-0-545-47807-6. $59.95; CD with hardcover book, ISBN 978-0-545-47823-6: $29.95; CD with paperback book, ISBN 978-0-545-47822-9: $18.95; CD, ISBN 978-0-545-47806-9: $12.95.
PreS-Gr 2–Fly Guy’s adventures begin with Tedd Arnold’s Theodore Seuss Geisel Honor Book (Cartwheel, 2005), and the sweet series for beginning readers soars to new heights with this outstanding DVD version. Buzz is looking for a smart pet to take to the Amazing Pet Show, and finds one talented fly for his jar. Is it a pest or a pet? Despite the naysayers, Fly Guy proves himself to be one fine flyer and a loyal pet. MacLeod Andrews gives an energetic and varied vocal performance and the animation by Soup2Nuts is hilarious. Best of all, the accompanying music and the Fly Guy song set the scene for a completely satisfying production. Rusty Young and Jack Sundrud’s musical stylings include a sliding clarinet, a guitar, and a harmonica as they steal the show while providing a spot-on match for Fly Guy’s humor and loop-the-loop aerial act. Special effects, from burps to buzzes, further enliven the text. Children will love the DVD and the CD as read-along aids or as pure, joyful entertainment. A delightful interview with the author follows the production. A brilliant marriage of text, art, and music.–Lonna Pierce, MacArthur and Thomas Jefferson Elementary School, Binghamton, NY