Status
Available
Call number
Publication
Harper (HarperCollins) (50th Anniversary Edition)
Pages
72
Description
After a bulletin board falls on Stanley while he is sleeping, he finds that being flat has its advantages.
Description
When Stanley Lambchop wakes up one morning, his brother, Arthur, is yelling. A bulletin board fell on Stanley during the night, and now he is only half an inch thick! Amazing things begin happening to him. Stanley gets rolled up, mailed, and flown like a kite. He even gets to help catch two dangerous art thieves. He may be flat, but he's a hero. This is the very first Flat Stanley adventure, updated with crisp new art.
Series
Collection
Language
Original language
English
Original publication date
1964
Physical description
72 p.; 7.6 inches
ISBN
9780060097912
Similar in this library
Media reviews
What's the story?
Flat as a pancake, smashed by a bulletin board, Stanley uses his new shape to gain attention, but he soon learns the downside of being different. Jeff Brown's sophisticated humor keeps adults entertained, while kids identify with Stanley's feelings and enjoy his adventures. The
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illustration style, though dated, is expressive and funny. Brown's understanding of childhood emotions is as highly tuned as his humorous, understated writing style: "Mr. Dart stood back a few feet and stared at him for a moment. 'Oh well,' he said, 'it may not be art, but I know what I like.'" The lesson about the perils of going to extremes for attention is subtly conveyed, as Stanley is teased and rejected by his peers and Mom delivers a heavy-handed lecture about accepting other's differences, including racial and religious ones. Younger siblings will relate to Arthur's jealousy, too.
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After a bulletin board fell on him and decreased his thickness to one-half an inch, Stanley's life changed in peculiar ways. His younger, well-rounded brother was jealous of flat Stanley, who could fit under closed doors, slip down sidewalk grates, be carried bundle-form, or flown as a kite,-- and
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who was finally proclaimed a ""flat here"" for being instrumental in uncovering a pair of thieves. The listening group will enjoy Stanley's bizarre perspective on the world. Show Less
Lexile
L
User reviews
LibraryThing member tripleblessings
A simple chapter book about a boy who becomes flattened by a bulletin board, so he can be rolled up, mailed, flown like a kite, and have other amazing adventures. Children are encouraged to make their own Flat Stanley drawings and mail him to friends. Funny, and fun. 5 chapters, good for grades 1
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to 2. Show Less
LibraryThing member MelanieRoss
This is a very funny book that is about a young boy who is at home one day and then gets crushed "flat as a pancake." Now that he is flat, he can fit though places he normally could not, which brings him various adventures. One of these adventures includes being mailed in an envelope. This is a
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very humorous book that children will love. It is a great book to use for many different types of lessons. I actually read the first few chapters aloud to the students in my practicum placement and they absolutely loved it! They were very engaged, and therefore constantly laughing and asking questions and participating in class discussions. The way I used this narrative book was reading it during the week the students were learning about continents. I did this because it has to do with traveling, and so I asked students things such as "which continent would you mail Flat Stanley to?" and "why did you choose that continent?". They came up with wonderful answers that supported the information we had previously discussed that week, which I thought was great. This book could also be used in a language arts/ comprehension/ vocabulary lesson. There are certain words that could be picked out and explained to students and then further discussed to support their comprehension of the story. Show Less
LibraryThing member awidmer06
Genre: Fantasy
Age Appropriateness: Primary
Review: This book is a good example of fantasy because the story includes a character with nonhuman characteristics. Stanley is flattened to an inch thick by a bulletin board during the night. He takes advantage of being this thin by flying like a kite,
Media: This book is a good example of ink, water color, and pencil. The pencils allow different textures, colors, and dimensions. The color pencils also enhance the picture and depict the flatness of Stanley. The ink and watercolor give the pictures even flow and a well-blended look. The illustrator adds depth to the text by having Stanley pop off the page in full form by using different media forms.
Characterization: Stanley is a round character because he encounters a problem, which is being flattened to half an inch thick. Instead of being sore about the matter, he finds out that being flat can be fun. Readers are able to relate to Stanley and become attached to him as he becomes more fully developed in the story.
Age Appropriateness: Primary
Review: This book is a good example of fantasy because the story includes a character with nonhuman characteristics. Stanley is flattened to an inch thick by a bulletin board during the night. He takes advantage of being this thin by flying like a kite,
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traveling, and helping catch two art thieves. Such a situation is not realistic and requires readers to use their imagination. Luckily, Stanley becomes ordinary again with the help of Arthur and an air pump.Media: This book is a good example of ink, water color, and pencil. The pencils allow different textures, colors, and dimensions. The color pencils also enhance the picture and depict the flatness of Stanley. The ink and watercolor give the pictures even flow and a well-blended look. The illustrator adds depth to the text by having Stanley pop off the page in full form by using different media forms.
Characterization: Stanley is a round character because he encounters a problem, which is being flattened to half an inch thick. Instead of being sore about the matter, he finds out that being flat can be fun. Readers are able to relate to Stanley and become attached to him as he becomes more fully developed in the story.
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LibraryThing member melannen
I picked this one up because I'd heard about the Flat Stanley Project from teacher friends of mine and wanted to read the original.
It's not bad. Very clever and cute, in an old-fashioned sort of way, and the relationship between Stanley and his brother (and Stanley and the other kids, for that
I wish I had the original edition, though: this one is very clearly packaged to appeal to modern kids as a "chapter book" in an attempt to caplitalize on the project; but it reads much more like a picture book, and I'd love to see where the page breaks and illustrations were in the original large-format edition.
It's not bad. Very clever and cute, in an old-fashioned sort of way, and the relationship between Stanley and his brother (and Stanley and the other kids, for that
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matter) is actually handled suprisingly well.I wish I had the original edition, though: this one is very clearly packaged to appeal to modern kids as a "chapter book" in an attempt to caplitalize on the project; but it reads much more like a picture book, and I'd love to see where the page breaks and illustrations were in the original large-format edition.
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LibraryThing member madelinelbaker
Flat Stanley is a good example of fantasy because the boy Stanley is squished by a bulletin board and becomes half an inch thick, which could not really happen in real life. The plot goes through the normal beginning, conflict and ending sequence. The beginning introduces Stanley and his family and
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how he got made "flat". Then the conflict is dealing with the ups and downs of being flat. Some ups are he can fit under doors and be mailed to visit his cousins, and the down side is he got stuck in a tree and his classmates sometimes make fun of him. The conclusion comes when Stanley accepts that being flat is different, but it is okay to be different, and again when Stanley's brother blows him up with a ball pump back to the normal Stanley. The artwork in this book was done with pen and ink. Show Less
LibraryThing member angharad_reads
Absurd story of a boy who becomes flattened. Much better than I expected/remembered. Includes puns and deliberately ridiculous dialogue.
LibraryThing member rbelknap
This book is a good example of a fantasy story because a boy cannot become flat and be mailed. Stanley became flat by being squished by a bulletin board. From this accident he becomes half an inch thick. This could not really happen in real life.
Age Appropriateness: Primary
Media: Pen and Ink
Age Appropriateness: Primary
Media: Pen and Ink
LibraryThing member loeb001
Flat Stanley is a book about a little boy named Stanley who becomes flat when his bulletin board falls on him. His brother becomes jealous when Stanley get all the attention for being flat since Stanley can do all sorts of things like slide under closed doors. One day Stanley becomes upset about
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being flat and him and his brother reconcile. Immediately after Stanley's brother has the great idea to blow Stanley up with a bicycle tire pump and it works. Things went right back to normal. Show Less
LibraryThing member shannonbaker
This book is good for kindergarten to second grade. Stanley gets crushed by a bulletin board and is now flat. This book teaches students what it is like to be flat and they can write about what they would do if they were flat.
LibraryThing member saralogue
What a fun story! The beginning of this series is lovely, the slightly miraculous transformation that Stanley goes through gives him loads of opportunities that are new to him. He even has his family mail himself to visit a friend. This was the first flat Stanley book that I read and now I want to
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read the others. I saw a teacher do a geography unit using flat Stanley as a link to literature. they made their own flat Stanley and whenever anyone in the class (or their parents) were taking a trip they would take the paper version of flat Stanley and take a photo of themselves together at some tourist location. They had a map with pins in the places that Stanley had visited and the pictures that had been taken. This unit could be continued from generation to generation for quite a few years or started over each year depending on your personal style. Show Less
LibraryThing member epalmergpw
I chose this book to be on my list because of it's amazing child project to go with it. I remember personally doing the project of taking Flat Stanley to all of the different places I was going to in that month, much like how Flat Stanley goes different places in the story. This project is
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important for children to do because it exposes kids to different areas and things that other kids do in their classroom. This also gives the students to tell the other students in their class about their own encounters. Show Less
LibraryThing member StaceyMiller
A cute story of a flat boy. Stanley uses his flatness in creative ways to help people and even catch some tricky art theives.
LibraryThing member Ayling
Read this over and over as a child I remember.
LibraryThing member yurimtz
Flat Stanley is about a boy who gets flatten by a bulletin board that fell on him during the night. Amazingly enough he survived to be a hero, now he was able to get rolled up, and mailed, and fly like a kite. He was even able to catch two dangerous art thieves. This book would be a great building
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community strategy for students and they would be able to do many activities with this book. Some examples could be drawing a picture of Stanley and taking it for some adventures and taking pictures like he did in his story. Show Less
LibraryThing member cammykitty
I know this one is really popular with the kids, but I just couldn't let go. I kept looking at Stanley as a kid with a horrible disability. It did, however, have the perfect ingredients for a chapter book for young kids - jealous little brother, flying (cool, even if you do get tangled in a tree)
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and ridiculous save by little brother that leads to reconciliation. Added bonus, the parents aren't stupid or cruel, but they do let the kids solve their own problems. Show Less
LibraryThing member Marylee1973
This book is one of my favorites of all time! Kids do projects with him in the 3rd grade at my boys school and I have had cousins send him too me for their school projects from all over. I think the idea of a boy traveling around rolled up is awesome and I think it is a great way to introduce
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geography! Show Less
LibraryThing member etimmons08
Genre: Fantasy
Review: Since a child would never be flattened by a bulletin board, Jeff Brown creates a story using fantasy as a genre to tell what life may be life if someone was “four feet tall, a foot wide, and a half an inch thick”. Stanley is an exceptionally normal boy until the morning he
Characterization: Flat Stanley is the center of the story, thus making him the main character and also a round character. As we read the story, we learn that Stanley has not always been flat, he woke up that way one morning after a bulletin board fell on top of him while he was sleeping. We learn that he is “four feet tall, a foot wide, and a half an inch thick”, and that he enjoys saving the day by sliding through tiny spaces that a normal child his age would not normally be able to accomplish.
Media: Colored pencil.
Review: Since a child would never be flattened by a bulletin board, Jeff Brown creates a story using fantasy as a genre to tell what life may be life if someone was “four feet tall, a foot wide, and a half an inch thick”. Stanley is an exceptionally normal boy until the morning he
Show More
wakes up and he is flat! As Stanley adjusts to life as a flat child or a pancake, he begins to realize how many adventures one can have being his “new” size. Stanley travels to California in a letter to visit friends, he travels down a metal grating in the road to retrieve his mother’s ring, and he also saves the day by becoming the town hero by catching a couple of thieves.Characterization: Flat Stanley is the center of the story, thus making him the main character and also a round character. As we read the story, we learn that Stanley has not always been flat, he woke up that way one morning after a bulletin board fell on top of him while he was sleeping. We learn that he is “four feet tall, a foot wide, and a half an inch thick”, and that he enjoys saving the day by sliding through tiny spaces that a normal child his age would not normally be able to accomplish.
Media: Colored pencil.
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LibraryThing member ekean06
This is a good example of an early chapter book because the language is accessible and engaging and the chapters are short. This book is also a good example of an engaging plot because Stanly's flattened state allows him to do things most children could not, being flattened at the beginning, going
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on flattened adventures, and then finally being "puffed up" again at the end of the story as Stanley grows and develops as a character. Show Less
LibraryThing member benuathanasia
A silly, cute story, decently written with an interesting, original premise.
LibraryThing member Pam2014
Stanley Lambchop wakes up as flat as pancake when a bulletin board falls on him during the night. Instead of complaining about it, Stanley makes the most of his condition. He is in for the time of his life. Pick up this book today and join Stanley on his adventures.
LibraryThing member jbarro3
I absolutely love Flat Stanley. This book lends itself to lessons beyond lesson in writing or in history or in geography (depending on which book you read). I remember being in elementary school and writing a letter to my cousin and sending my Flat Stanley to visit her. I practiced my writing
The books are very short and easy to read. Students who like the idea of reading letters in a book because the style of written is different, these would be the books fort them. The vocabulary is very easy to understand because the little boy is writing some of the letters. The language he uses is going to be the same language that the reader uses.
The books have a lot of excitement because it is interesting to see where Stanley gets to travel and the memories he comes back with. As stated above, where he travels to can become part of a lesson. He may travel to a different country and celebrate a holiday or another state and be in a bathing suit all day.
Flat Stanley books take on a different point a view on each page. The letter may be from the boy, from a friend, from a family member in another state so the view is always changing which can interest the child. If a Flat Stanley is sent out, students can relate even more to the books and the boys’ excitement when he gets mail.
The pictures in the book break up the text for the students and allow a little brain break while reading. I still like to see a picture in a chapter book when I am reading. This can help for clarification or for a mini break in the reading.
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skills, I learned how to address a letter, and I got to read her letter and see her pictures when they came back. My cousin said they went to Canada, so my class and I researched the places in Canada that Stanley got to visit. The books are very short and easy to read. Students who like the idea of reading letters in a book because the style of written is different, these would be the books fort them. The vocabulary is very easy to understand because the little boy is writing some of the letters. The language he uses is going to be the same language that the reader uses.
The books have a lot of excitement because it is interesting to see where Stanley gets to travel and the memories he comes back with. As stated above, where he travels to can become part of a lesson. He may travel to a different country and celebrate a holiday or another state and be in a bathing suit all day.
Flat Stanley books take on a different point a view on each page. The letter may be from the boy, from a friend, from a family member in another state so the view is always changing which can interest the child. If a Flat Stanley is sent out, students can relate even more to the books and the boys’ excitement when he gets mail.
The pictures in the book break up the text for the students and allow a little brain break while reading. I still like to see a picture in a chapter book when I am reading. This can help for clarification or for a mini break in the reading.
Show Less
LibraryThing member rschin1
In my opinion “Flat Stanley” by Jeff Brown is a fun book to read with students. The animated illustrations match the text well and are engaging to students. For example, the students are able to visualize what a “flat” person would like when the bulletin board falls on top of Stanley in the
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middle of the night; the pictures reinforce their visualizations. Along with the illustrations, the plot is organized stating a clear beginning, middle, and end, which is easy for students to follow. The book shows Stanley become flat in the beginning, travel and do activities while he is flat, and back to normal again! Not only does this book have a clear plot, but it offers teachers fun activities to do in the classroom. The main message of this book is to have pride for who you are and respect for the people around you. Show Less
LibraryThing member ckelly16
I think that this book is a great chapter book for young readers. I liked the book for two reasons, one being the plot of the story. His family discovers that Stanley has become flat in the very beginning of the story. The book takes children on Stanley’s many engaging adventures throughout the
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middle of the book, such as being mailed to his friend all the way in California! At the end of the story after all of his adventures, Stanley realizes that although he tried to be flat, he likes who he really is, and with his brothers help becomes round again. I think that the books plot can be used while teaching as well because I can remember my younger siblings bringing home a Flat Stanley and mailing him off to different states as pan pals. The second thing I liked about the book was how although it was a chapter book, it still had illustrations on many of the pages. The illustrations show Stanley as flat and could be funny for children when they see what it looks like to be like that and mailed in an envelope. I think that the big idea of the story is that although it may be fun to be someone else for a few days, it is always important to love who you are and your personal qualities. Show Less
LibraryThing member CMJohnson
This is a cute book! I learned about Flat Stanley in math class and had to know more. This book tells you about a little boy who was flattened by a bulletin board! He then realizes all the potential he now has in fitting into all the hard to fit in places, like envelopes! He can do a lot of good,
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even catch the bad guys! I love this book because it is an open door for a great activity! Children can create their own Stanleys and mail him to different places! I love it! It is so cute! Show Less
LibraryThing member awalls4
I liked this book a lot! I think it is different than the typical story plots that are found on the shelves today. When I was growing up I visited Colonial Williamsburg a lot with my family. One day a lady asked my sisters and I to take a picture with a Flat Stanley from her classroom. The lady
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told us all about Flat Stanley and reading this book brought back all of those memories. I like the book for two reasons. First, I like the book because of how it is written. I think the text has a great pace to it and there is not too much text included on each page. For every page of text there is an illustration page provided. The second reason I liked this book is because of the central purpose of the book. I think the central purpose of the book is to embrace your differences and use them for good. For example, when Stanley becomes flat he does not just sit around a pout that he is flat. Instead he finds ways in which he can help. Stanley’s mother drops her ring and Stanley is able to slide into the crate and retrieve the ring. Therefore, I think the central message of the story is to embrace differences. Show Less
Subjects
Call number
J3E.Bro