"Flat Stanley"

"Flat Stanley" is the story of a boy who wakes up one morning to find that he has been flattened. During the night, the bulletin board that was hung above his bed fell on top of him and squished him. Stanley Lambchop has to learn how to live like a flat person. At first, he likes being flat and finds ways to help people out. Eventually, Stanley's fame wears out and people start to make fun of him. His jealous brother who feels sorry for him helps Stanley to become normal sized again.

Stanley uses his flatness to help others. He slips through the gratings of a manhole to rescue his mother's ring, lets his little brother fly him as a kite at the park, and helps the police catch thieves at a museum. Stanley is a bit of a showoff, but his heart is in the right place. The moral of this story is use what talents you were given to help others and make the world a better place. This book is probably really good for children, but reading it from an adult perspective, it was just plain funny.

For me, a lot of the situations and people's reactions were unreasonable and would not happen in real life. For example, when Stanley's parents came in to his room and saw that Stanley had become flat, his mother said, "Let's all have breakfast. Then Stanley and I will go see Dr. Dan and hear what he has to say." That seems like a very unrealistic reaction to me. I know that this is a children's book and is make believe, but to me as an adult, it still seems kind of weird. And who actually allows their child to stay in a museum all night to catch dangerous criminals? Stanley's parents did not object at all. All his mother said was that he needed to take a long nap if he was going to be staying up all night.

This story is a good book for children. It is funny, interesting, and a light read. The "Flat Stanley" series has become very popular and has inspired many students to actually make their own Stanleys to mail around the US and the world. I have even come across a Flat Stanley or two when I was younger. I really like the idea behind sending him all over the place and taking pictures of him. It shows children that there really is more out there in the world and can teach them about different cultures and people.