The Terrible Treatment of "Flat Stanley" (Kids' books)

Boca00

Sun, Jan 02 2022, 4:20 pm

My kids got these books from the library and I am really taken aback! His family and community seem to be completely abusing/taking advantage of him.

Some examples off the top of my head:
-They use his body like a sling to carry heavy firewood
-His mother rolls pie crust on his body (why couldn't she just use the counter?)
-The baker asks him to flop backwards onto rolled out cookie dough so he could trace him (ouch!)

There are so many situations where his family and community mistreat him because he is flat.

Also, it's creepy! A bulletin board fell on him so he became flat?!

I don't like these messages at all.

Last edited by Boca00 on Sun, Jan 02 2022, 4:26 pm; edited 1 time in total

number

Sun, Jan 02 2022, 4:22 pm

I don’t have flat Stanley in my house for that reason. I’ve always found the books disturbing.

Notsobusy

Sun, Jan 02 2022, 4:24 pm

My kids love that series. And he seems pretty happy to be able to do these favors for everybody.

I just look at these books as harmless entertainment. Not every book has to teach them something.

Boca00

Sun, Jan 02 2022, 4:28 pm

Notsobusy wrote:

My kids love that series. And he seems pretty happy to be able to do these favors for everybody.

I just look at these books as harmless entertainment. Not every book has to teach them something.

He usually seems happy, though not in the camping book. If this was a "regular" kid, I think nobody would be ok with people using him this way.

Also, I agree not every book has to teach them something. But I think this gives over bad messages.

#BestBubby

Sun, Jan 02 2022, 4:58 pm

I think Flat Stanley gives over a GOOD message.

It is ok to be different.

What some may see as a handicap can have ADVANTAGES.

Stanley is a good role model for
self acceptance and making the best
of life without indulging in self pity.

imasinger

Sun, Jan 02 2022, 5:03 pm

I have yet to meet a kid who either got nightmares or developed bad middos from reading Flat Stanley.

causemommysaid

Sun, Jan 02 2022, 5:21 pm

All these books are weird.

Flat Stanley, Diary of a wimpy kid, geronimo Stilton, wayside school.

If ur allowing secular books, they are all basically the same.

Weird, stupid, and very little substance.

sequoia

Sun, Jan 02 2022, 5:34 pm

causemommysaid wrote:

Wow.

You could not be more wrong.

Children’s literature is not stupid and has plenty of substance. Wayside School is one of the most interesting examples of surrealism in literature that I have ever read. The nineteenth story!

MiracleMama

Sun, Jan 02 2022, 5:42 pm

A few of my kids had the same teacher and she always made the students do a book report on a Flat Stanley volume of their choice. So I read a couple to see what my kids are reading. I think the premise is moronic. Deeply so. The stories ridiculous. Not particularly interesting in my view. Left me with the thought that maybe I should write some children's literature, because apparently they'll publish anything.

#BestBubby

Sun, Jan 02 2022, 5:43 pm

I also like the sibling relationship in Flat Stanley. The brothers are friends not enemies.

From what I heard about Wimpy Kid the protaganist is a bad role model:

mean to sibling. lazy. cheats.

finallyamommy

Sun, Jan 02 2022, 5:45 pm

I don’t remember anything about Flat Stanley except that when my sister did it (I never did), she had to send a cardboard cut-out of “Stanley” in the mail to our uncle on the other side of the country and asked him to write back about Stanley’s adventures.

zaq

Sun, Jan 02 2022, 6:52 pm

causemommysaid wrote:

And an awful lot of frum literature is nauseatingly preachy, poorly written, and riddled with errors in spelling, grammar and syntax.

causemommysaid

Sun, Jan 02 2022, 6:57 pm

zaq wrote:

And an awful lot of frum literature is nauseatingly preachy, poorly written, and riddled with errors in spelling, grammar and syntax.

I don't disagree.

My point was about the content of flat Stanley and similar. I'm not promoting Jewish books as being high quality.

causemommysaid

Sun, Jan 02 2022, 7:02 pm

sequoia wrote:

Yes lots of books have substance. The ones I quoted are stupid though. I couldn't finish wayside school, it was so boring . But to each their own.

My kids are currently reading captain underpants and dogman. I'm watching their brains fry as I write this.

Lots of the older stuff is less stupid.

imasinger

Sun, Jan 02 2022, 7:09 pm

Wayside school is definitely not boring to me or many people I know.

I'm not a fan of Judy Moody, or the endless series like it that should never have been given 20 zillion sequels.

But tbh, anything that gets kids willing to read is better than not reading regularly.

Bins

Sun, Jan 02 2022, 7:15 pm

Flat Stanley is fiction, it doesn’t have to make sense. Overthinking much? The children get along well and have good relationships with others. Being flat allows Stanley to do some pretty cool things! I used to teach and would do a project with the kids where Stanley gets decorated, travels the world. They loved it! Sorry, I’m not touting flat Stanley as the height of literature, but most Jewish books are not that hot…. Let’s not go there

youngishbear

Sun, Jan 02 2022, 7:17 pm

I know people who object to Curious George because he disobeys orders and teaches kids that bizarre behavior can be cute and funny.

Oh, well.

#BestBubby

Sun, Jan 02 2022, 8:07 pm

I know people who object to Berenstain Bears because some books portray the Papa Bear as Childish while Mama Bear is the mature one.

Boca00

Sun, Jan 02 2022, 8:32 pm

imasinger wrote:

I have yet to meet a kid who either got nightmares or developed bad middos from reading Flat Stanley.

I hear your point but I think it's much more subtle than that. It's showing them it's ok to have people take advantage of you/your body in such a matter-of-fact way that it wouldn't be traced back to this book.