Flat Stanley

March 1, 2003
Youngsters will welcome the return of favorite characters in an array of beginning chapter books. Stanley Lambchop deflates once more in Stanley, Flat Again, the sixth title in the series by Jeff Brown, illus. by Scott Nash. Whereas the hero flew as a kite in Flat Stanley, here he serves as a spinnaker to win a sailboat race. When a building collapses, he slips beneath the wreckage to save a classmate just before it tumbles down. A paperback version of Flat Stanley, also with illustrations by Nash, is being released simultaneously.

December 1, 2006
K-Gr 3-Based on Jeff Browns original story (HarperCollins, 1964), this oversize picture book condenses some of the adventures of the ever-popular character who was flattened by a bulletin board. Ending up four feet tall, a foot wide, and half-an-inch thick, Stanley discovers that being flat is not only novel (he can slip under cracks), but also exciting. He is mailed off to California in a large envelope; he can be flown like a huge kite; and one night, disguised as a shepherdess, he hides in a painting in the art museum and foils some thieves. Full-page, cartoon illustrations in watercolor and crayon enhance the story while remaining true to the original. This version of an old favorite will introduce a beloved character to a new generation of younger children. It should have wide appeal."Sally R. Dow, Ossining Public Library, NY"

Copyright 2006 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

January 1, 2014
The heavy-lidded cat with a cult following dons overalls for a trip to the farm. There is absolutely nothing out of the ordinary about the text in this outing, verses unfurling spread by spread, one per animal. This feline Old MacDonald has some equally heavy-lidded chickens, dogs, cows, pigs, horses, (Siamese) cats, goats, ducks, turkeys, roosters, donkeys, sheep, frogs and geese, as well as a turtle that's pictured in each scene. They all pretty much say the expected things, though preschoolers will be quick to call shenanigans when they hear that Pete-the-Cat MacDonald's goats say "baa-baa" while the sheep say "maa-maa." The "action," such as it is, plays out on static, green-grassed, blue-skied backgrounds in which the occasional tractor or barn trades places with a red pickup. Aside from Pete and his turtle, the animals included in the spreads vary, sometimes accumulating and sometimes not; children who like to find patterns will be frustrated here. But the book's biggest liability is its star's practically comatose affect. Jacket copy and the character's mythos tell readers that Pete's "groovy," but he just looks like he couldn't care less. As the lyrics of "Old MacDonald" beg to be sung aloud with brio, Pete's never-changing expression and the unwavering stolidity of the compositions make a hopeless mismatch. "Old MacDonald" for narcoleptics. (Picture book. 3-5)

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January 1, 2007
How to explain the appalling decision to abridge the venerable Flat Stanley and make it into a full-size picture book? The hilarious, deadpan prose has been abridged into a text as flat as Stanley himself. Whole episodes have disappeared in order to showcase the art and squeeze the action into thirty-two pages. You'll also look in vain for the endearing sibling rivalry.

(Copyright 2007 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)