September 2012

BotM-FlatStanley

Flat Stanley

By: Jeff Brown

Flat Stanley is a nice, ordinary boy until he suddenly becomes "flat" one day when his bulletin board falls on him. Stanley realizes that there are several advantages to being flat, such as the ability to slide under doors, through bars and mailed in an envelope for long trips. The best part of Stanley's being flat is when he is able to catch some thieves in the local museum. Stanley is flat, but he's a hero-and he's off on all kinds of adventures!

Activities

  1. In the story, the big Scotch pine tree is very disappointed that he is not chosen by a family to be their Christmas tree. Knowing how sad the tree felt, his forest animal friends brought special gifts from the woods to decorate his branches. Discuss with your family ways that you can make your friends feel special this holiday season.

  2. The families in A Wish to be a Christmas tree have a tradition of visiting the tree farm to choose their Christmas tree. During this holiday season, you and your family can begin a tradition of spending quality reading time together. Your local library can be a wonderful place to find books to enjoy together.

  3. It seems like everything is going wrong when Stanley Longchamp is "flattened" by his bulletin board; however, Stanley quickly learns that there are advantages to being flat. Stanley is able to slide under doors, through bars-he can fight crime and be mailed in an envelope for long trips. As a family, discuss what things have seemed to go wrong that ended up having a happy ending. Sometimes thinking positively can make difficult things seem easier.

  4. If you enjoy playing games on the computer, check out this interactive website with Flat Stanley games, activities and adventures: http://www.flatstanleybooks.com/kids/games-for-kids/. If you do not have a computer in your home, stop by your local library to use one of theirs!