Flat Stanley - a synopsis  

Stanley Lambchop began life as an ordinary little boy who lived with his Mum and Dad and brother.

One morning, when Mum called him for breakfast, there was no reply. This was so unusual that his brother ran to Stanley's bedroom to see what was wrong. Lying across Stanley's bed was the large bulletin board that Dad had fixed to the wall. Stanley was underneath.

When the board was lifted off, the family discovered that Stanley was now flat.

Although Mum took him to see the doctor, nothing could be done to make him into a normal shaped boy again.

However, being flat had its advantages. When he got tired on long walks, Dad could roll him up and carry him under his arm. When Mum dropped her ring down a grating in the street, Stan was lowered down between the bars on a piece of rope to find the ring.

One day an invitation arrived for Stanley to visit a friend in California. He really wanted to go, but Mum and Dad said the air fare was just too expensive. Fortunately, they had a good idea. Since Stanley was flat, he could go by post in an envelope. So Dad brought home a huge strong envelope from work. Stan slid inside, with some (flat) sandwiches and a comic to read on the way, and Mum put him in the post-box.

"Are you all right, Stanley?" she called through the mouth of the post-box.

"Yes, Mum," replied Stanley. And so off he went by post to California to spend an exciting holiday with his friend.

And when the week was up, home he came again the same way.