Our Junior Blogger, Julietta, LOVED Fly Guy, read her review here!

The Fly Guy play had me buzzing for more BACT plays! 

It was really amazing, and I loved the set especially. It was about a boy named Buzz who has a fly as a pet (it can even say his name!). He also meets a girl named Liz who also has a fly as a pet (and it can also say her name!). However, some people might not like the idea of it. They think of flies as pests, not pets.
The play is really funny and I really enjoyed it. 

So what about those people who think of flies as pests? Can flies really be friends, not foes? In my opinion, sure, if you prefer a very, very small pet that has a chance of easily flying away or causing chaos in restaurants, or maybe a fly swatter factory, if you go to one ( hopefully without your pet!).

The moral of the story? Check what kind of factory your touring before bringing your pet fly!

What do I think about a pet fly and if they are pests or pets? Well, during the play I felt like I needed to help Fly Guy and Fly Girl when they were almost going to get swatted, but being honest, I still do not want those flies in my house!  I'm thinking of them as kind of a mix, since they are a bit gross, but the play helped me see the pet part of flies.

But, even though I would never have a pet fly, I still loved the play and the books too.

The fly in the play is given personification to make him fit in the story better. For one thing, he can talk, like say Buzz, friendzies, Hizee, and more. The only thing about it is he can only say words with a Z in them (or at least words humans can understand.) . The same thing goes for Fly Girl too. So they are given personification, only more realistic. 

I'm excited for the next BACT play!

More Learning! Fly Guy Facts and Fun

Flies are pets, not pests, according to our pal Fly Guy, so here are some resources for more fly learning fun!

If you're looking for an easy guide to breakdown various types of flies and their differences, buzz over to PestWorldforKids.org

If you're a Kindle reader, Fantastic Facts about Flies, is a free Kindle Unlimited read!


If you've flown through the Fly Guy series and are craving another picture book, check out I. Fly, an illustrated education about the awesomeness of flies.



Watch the growth cycle of flies with this awesome video!

And for those who just want a little more of Fly Guy, the Musical, here are the fly facts from the shows' closing number!

Fly Girl and Fly Guy are amazin’

Two creatures to pique your fascination

Since craving more information

Listen as we list Linnaean classifications

Kingdom: Animalia

Phylum: Arthropoda

Insecta!

Diptera!

Section: Schizophora

They’re flies! (Flies!)

They have compound eyes!

A thousand little lenses let ‘em see from all sides

Antennae!

Can smell things a mile away!

And scientists say that if conditions are great

Some flies can fly several miles a day

Yeah, the buzz that they make is the sound of their wings beating

They have sticky, sticky feet that let ‘em walk on the ceiling

And the hairs on those feet let them taste where they’re walking

But they don’t have teeth, so they can’t ingest solids

So they vomit on food, because their vomit is caustic

And they suck it back up with a straw-like proboscis

(Ewww!)

Fly Guy, Fly Girl, oh Fly Guy, Fly Girl, friendzies!

Fly Guy, Fly Girl, or Fly Guy, Fly Girl, friendzies!

Yeah a couple of kids and their pets who were flies

Copyright Austin Zumbro 2017

If these fly activities don't fulfill your fly-loving needs, you could always make your way to Fly Guy, the Musical again!  It's even better a second time!

Fly Guy's Favorite Dessert: Dirt Cake

Flies love gross stuff: moldy bread, rotten meat, and stale Oreo cookies.  Just one of the many things we humans don't have in common with our fly friends.  But, what if, just for an afternoon we could enjoy gross treats just as much as these bugs do?

Treat yourself to some afternoon grub with dirt cake!

Photo Credit: Food.com

The perfect treat for spring time, get your kid's psyched for Fly Guy, the Musical with this no bake, easy to make dirt cake!

Photo Credit: Food.com

Ingredients:

• 1 Oreo package--double stuff or flavored will lighten the color of your top soil, but add fun flavor to the mix!
• 1 16 oz. instant pudding package--chocolate will leave your dirt extra brown, while vanilla or banana will make for light colored layers
• 1 16 oz Cool Whip--full fat is best to create extra fluffy dirt.  Our try non-dairy Coco Whip for a slight coconut flavor!
• Gummy worms, or other fun treats to bury in the mud!
• Fun container--clean plastic pot, lined terra cotta pot, or just some cups for serving!

Photo Credit: Food.com

How to make no-bake dirt cake:

1. Mix pudding per box instructions.
2. Grind Oreos into a soil-like consistency.  If you don't have a food processor, try putting the Oreos in a Ziplock and smashing them for extra fun!
3. Separate pudding into two portions.
4. Mix one portion of pudding with equal portion of Cool Whip.
5. Start layering!  Layer pudding, Oreo crumbs, Cool Whip, and the pudding mix in whatever order you like, making sure to leave a thick layer of Oreo dirt on top!
6. Garnish with creepy crawlers and enjoy!

Don't worry, if you think you made too much dirt cake, leave it on the counter for a few days, and Fly Guy will finish it for you!

Get your tickets for Fly Guy, the Musical, before he flies away!

Peculiar Friendships in Children's Literature

We at BACT are a buzz about our musical adaptation of Fly Guy, but it has us yearning for other great stories about peculiar friendships.

Buzz and Liz LOVE their pet flies

If you're in the mood for a book or two about unusual friendships, here's the reading list for you!

If you love the classics:

Curious George: Who knew a man in a yellow hat and a monkey could be pals?  Curious George stands the test of time.

Charlotte's Web: Always a tear jerker, your kid will spend the rest of their life searching for a relationship as meaningful as Wilbur and Charlotte's. 

Winnie the Pooh:  The hundred acre wood is full of unusual friendships.  Bears who love pigs, a boy who love bears, and a tigger that might love himself the most.  

Stories from BACT season's past:

Where are Jame's friends when he needs them?

James and the Giant Peach: The musical was composed by this year's Oscar winners, Pasek and Paul, but the book is a Dahl staple, perfect for those who aren't scared of the creepy and crawly.  Not for those who have a fear of their own family. 

Elephant and Piggy: Like many animal tales, this series reminds us that there's nothing strange about the bond between a cautious elephant and care-free pig.

Ivy and Bean: Ivy is a little Berkeley, Bean is a tomboy at heart.  They couldn't be more different, but that doesn't stop these girls from a world of adventures.  The perfect way remind your child to not judge their neighbor by their quirkiness.  

For poetry lovers:

The Giving Tree: This beloved tale from kid-favorite Shel Silverstein has spent over half a century teaching the beauty of the life cycle, while reminding us all to go outside and hug a tree.

Less talked about friendships:

Archy and Mehitabel: Because cockroaches and cats can be friends, especially when the cat's on her ninth life, and the roach is Cleopatra's latest reincarnation.  About as old as most cockroaches, this story has been around since 1916!

Flora and Ulysses: The unlikely friendship of a girl and a supercharged squirrel she rescued from a vacuum.  One of the quirkier tales from Kate DiCamillo.  What's not to love?

Hopefully these tales will get you pumped for the best of unusual friends of all--a kid and their pet fly!  So get your tickets for Fly Guy before they fly away!