Focus on Flies.

Gregory Bryan is a member of the Faculty of Education at the University of Manitoba in Winnipeg.

A book about flies might seem unlikely to be an engaging book, but Norma Dixon’s Focus on Flies is very interesting. Although much of the information is written in a simple fashion at an introductory level, Dixon is careful to ensure that she sprinkles several fascinating details and bits of information throughout the book.

Despite many people’s distaste for flies, Dixon is not judgmental. She identifies the purposes served by flies (such as their important role as plant pollinators, and the role that maggots play in breaking down decomposing organic matter), but also talks about the potential for flies to spread diseases (such as typhoid and cholera). Dixon traces flies back through Ancient Egypt and even to the time of dinosaurs.

The photographs add a great deal to the book. There are some amazing, highly magnified images. The cover photograph, for instance, is quite staggering. Among other things, it shows the fly’s greenish colour, the large maroon compound eye, and what appear to be long hairs or spikes covering the body and legs.

Focus on Flies is 32 pages in length and is divided into eight chapters. The book is heavily illustrated. It also includes an index and glossary. The various chapters include a focus on such things as fly anatomy and classification of various types of flies. The book focuses primarily on what are termed true flies—flies with two wings. This group includes house flies, fruit flies, and mosquitoes.

Focus on Flies is an unexpectedly interesting book that children will enjoy reading. It will encourage children to look more closely at their surroundings and to appreciate the diversity of nature.