Stanley's Christmas Adventure (Flat Stanley)

FOR USE IN SCHOOLS AND LIBRARIES ONLY. Stanley Lambchop is just a normal boy, with a normal younger brother named Arthur, and two normal parents. That is, until a bulletin board falls on him during the night and flattens him to half an inch thick! From th

Children's Literature

Sometimes it is not wise to try to improve on a sure-fire hit, as the plethora of Flat Stanley adventures seem to prove. This time Santa Claus is refusing to deliver presents because he is upset by humans' greed and constant warring and bickering. His daughter Sarah makes an impromptu visit to the Lambchops, as Santa was once impressed by a letter Stanley wrote, and convinces them to travel with her to Snow City to change Santa's mind. The altruistic Stanley and brother Arthur read from the letters that they had written to Santa asking that all their gifts be given to victims of a recent South African earthquake. Of course, Santa relents and promises to fly on Christmas with a sleigh filled with presents for everyone. The Lambchops return home none the worse for wear and thanks to a little magic dust are completely unaware of the journey they made. This little adventure is as deflated as Stanley once was. He has lost some of his luster now that he is a regular boy having been blown up by Arthur's bicycle pump. The text is breezy and simple and the cartoon illustrations help move everything along. Since the original in 1964 the Lambchops have been "modernized" so that they scarcely resemble their original selves. This lightweight fare is not a first purchase and probably won't be missed. Teachers should stick to the original and read it aloud to their students and continue to send their Flat Stanley replicas on adventures. Reviewer: Beverley Fahey