Childrens Book Week: The Flat Stanley Project

Website of the Day: Tuesday October 5th 2004

Thanks to children’s author Diane Carey for emailing me to tip me off about Children’s Book Week 2004. Diane is promoting her book A Digger, A Dumptruck with pre-school visits this week. There’s more information about Children’s Book Week at Book Trusted.com but that site is aimed mainly at teachers and libraries. In the meantime, here’s a great way for primary school children to get involved with Childrens Book Week:

>> The Flat Stanley Project
Flat Stanley is the hero of a popular American children’s book. Stanley is an entirely normal boy, who just happens to have been flattened by a falling bulletin board. This isn’t as bad as it sounds, as it means Stanley can travel the world in a first class envelope. School children are encouraged to make their own Flat Stanley out of paper, and send him (along with a blank journal) to another school, where the pupils treat their new Flat Stanley as a guest. After a few weeks Stanley is sent back to his creators with a completed journal and perhaps some photographs, post cards, and souvenirs. Pupils can plot his travels on maps and share the contents of the journal.