Super Fly

Winner of the National Outdoor Book Award for Natural History and a New York Times Editors Choice Pick "After reading Super Fly, you will never take a fly for granted again. Thank you, Jonathan Balcombe, for reminding us of the infinite marvels of everyday creatures." —Sy Montgomery, Author of How to Be a Good Creature From an expert in animal consciousness, a book that will turn the fly on the wall into the elephant in the room. For most of us, the only thing we know about flies is that they're annoying, and our usual reaction is to try to kill them. In Super Fly, the myth-busting biologist Jonathan Balcombe shows the order Diptera in all of its diversity, illustrating the essential role that flies play in every ecosystem in the world as pollinators, waste-disposers, predators, and food source; and how flies continue to reshape our understanding of evolution. Along the way, he reintroduces us to familiar foes like the fruit fly and mosquito, and gives us the chance to meet their lesser-known cousins like the Petroleum Fly (the only animal in the world that breeds in crude oil) and the Chocolate Midge (the sole pollinator of the Cacao tree). No matter your outlook on our tiny buzzing neighbors, Super Fly will change the way you look at flies forever. Jonathan Balcombe is the author of four books on animal sentience, including the New York Times bestselling What A Fish Knows, which was nominated for the PEN/E.O. Wilson Award for Science Writing. He has worked for years as a researcher and educator with the Humane society to show us the consciousness of other creatures, and here he takes us to the farthest reaches of the animal kingdom.

From just a tiny larva in diapers to . . . SUPER FLY! This is the story of Eugene Flystein, a small and nerdy, mild-mannered housefly, who also happens to be the world's smallest superhero and humanity's greatest crime fighter. SUPER FLY!: Able to stop tornadoes from destroying towns with just one breath. Strong enough to push a ship away from a looming iceberg. He's even read every book in the library twice. Yes, twice! Can this four-eyed little bugger, along with his trusty sidekick Fantastic Flea, take on Crazy Cockroach and his army of insect baddies? It's housefly vs. cockroach in this epic battle of good vs. evil. Who will come out on top? Stay tuned!

THIS RICHLY INFORMATIVE JOURNEY INTO THE 1970S CAPTURES THE EXPLOSIVE POWER OF THE BLACK PERFORMERS, MUSICIANS, FILMMAKERS, AND ATHLETES WHO IGNITED A CULTURAL REVOLUTION. WHAT SINGER/SONGWRITER WAS THE FIRST WHITE PERFORMER TO APPEAR ON SOUL TRAIN? WHAT PHILADELPHIA 76ER MADE NBA HISTORY WHEN, AGAINST THE KANSAS CITY KINGS, HIS TWO-HANDED DUNK SHATTERED THE BACKBOARD? WHAT ROCK-AND-ROLL STAR WOULD BEGIN HIS CAREER PLAYING GUITAR FOR ARTISTS LITTLE RICHARD AND THE ISLEY BROTHERS? Whether you’re a ’70s culture aficionado or these questions have you stumped, Todd Boyd’s exciting look at one of the most influential periods in popular culture will be a fun and exciting roller-coaster ride that you won’t want to miss. Dr. Boyd (known as “The Notorious Ph.D.”) delves into the personalities, passions, and politics that swept America and the world in the ’70s and introduced a style and attitude that still reverberates today with the hip hop generation. From movies like Shaft, Super Fly, and Cleopatra Jones to Richard Pryor’s edgy routines on race to the rise of Dr. J and other sports superstars, The Notorious Ph.D.’s Guide to the Super Fly ’70s mixes social insight with an all-out celebration of the contributions of a wide variety of Black icons. Covering every aspect of Black culture from the period and including a quiz that you and your friends will love answering together, Dr. Boyd’s hip writing style will educate while it entertains.

Fly Guy loves the school cafeteria. He loves the dirty dishes, the smelly mop, and the rubbish bins. But when the dinner ladies discover there's a fly in the cafeteria, chaos ensues Though Fly Guy makes a mess of things, he also shows his powers as a Super Fly Guy

Racial politics and capitalism found a way to blend together in 1970s Chicago in the form of movie theaters targeted specifically toward African Americans. In From Sweetback to Super Fly, Gerald Buttersexamines the movie theaters in Chicago’s Loop that became, as he describes them, “black spaces” during the early 1970s with theater managers making an effort to gear their showings toward the African American community by using black-themed and blaxploitation films. Butters covers the wide range of issues that influenced the theaters, from changing racial patterns to the increasingly decrepit state of Chicago’s inner city and the pressure on businesses and politicians alike to breathe life into the dying area. Through his extensive research, Butters provides an in-depth look at this phenomenon, delving into an area that has not previously been explored. His close examination of how black-themed films were marketed and how theaters showing these films tried to draw in crowds sheds light on race issues both from an industrial standpoint on the side of the theaters and movie producers, as well as from a cultural standpoint on the side of the moviegoers and the city of Chicago as a whole. Butters provides a wealth of information on a very interesting yet underexamined part of history, making From Sweetback to Super Fly a supremely enjoyable and informative book.

Just when you thought the streets of Stinkopolis were safe from evil . . . think again. Crazy Cockroach is back for revenge. He's bigger, smellier, and madder than ever. And he wants Super Fly and his sidekick Fantastic Flea squashed for good this time. To prove it, he's enlisted two dung beetle henchman to help him hypnotize and brainwash all of Brown Barge Elementary--using video games! Can Super Fly stop Crazy before it's too late? Or will Super Fly be outnumbered by his own friends? Stay tuned! Perfect for fans of chapter book series like Captain Awesome, this boisterous story told through black & white illustrations proves superheroes come in all shapes and sizes.

Fly Guy is hungry. He wants something brown and smelly. Yuck! Fly Guy returns home to discover that Buzz has gone on a picnic without him! Sad and hungry, Fly Guy takes off in search of his favorite food. He gets shooed away from a hamburger, a slice of pizza, a dog's bones, and even roadkill--leaving readers to guess what Fly Guy's favorite oozy, lumpy, smelly, brown food could possibly be. It's Shoo Fly Pie, of course!Using hyperbole, puns, slapstick, and silly drawings, Tedd Arnold delivers an easy reader that is full of fun in his NEW YORK TIMES bestselling Fly Guy series.

Super Fly has stopped Crazy Cockroach from taking over the world. He's conquered an entire hypnotized city of bugs. He's even battled his own sidekick! But now Super Fly is facing the most dangerous threat of all: an evil army of insects organized by Crazy Cockroach himself. Suddenly he's up against tarantulas, black widows, hornets, killer bees, fire ants, leeches, and more -- all with one thing in common: they're out to destroy Super Fly, and the world he inhabits, for good. Perfect for fans of chapter book series like Captain Awesome, this boisterous story told through black & white illustrations proves superheroes come in all shapes and sizes.