He changed his name from Richard to Jeff to avoid confusion with an existing member of Actors' Equity. Brown returned to the flat idea only in his last title, Stanley, Flat Again! (2003).īorn and brought up in New York, Brown was a child actor and graduate of the Professional Children's School. He has appeared on TV shows and been sent to visit the White House, as well as appearing in every school.īrown did not follow up the original work until the 1990s, when he wrote five more Stanley titles, including Stanley In Space (1991) and Stanley And The Magic Lamp (1996), but when Stanley was not flat he was never as much fun. Even Dr Dan, when asked to examine Stanley, says, 'Well, that's mostly how it is in these cases.'įlat Stanley's adventures have been translated into French, German, Spanish, Italian, Japanese and Hebrew, among other languages, but in the US he has a wider cultural significance as the everyday boy who can travel anywhere. When they find Stanley's younger brother piling books on top of himself they seriously discuss how jealous he must be of Stanley - as if having a flat son was an everyday occurrence.

Building on the familiar children's book premise of adults behaving completely normally around children whatever the circumstances, it is Mr and Mrs Lambchop's deadpan reaction to having a son who is flat that is so funny.

Stanley is the perfect all-American boy with charming manners and a regular smile, but with this one unusual feature: he is only half an inch thick. Most memorably, Stanley can be tied to a string and flown in the park, where he soars above the rest of the kites, showing off his twists and turns.īut though the adventures are in themselves pleasingly entertaining, it is Brown's dry handling of the concept that makes it so delicious. To avoid getting lost in the park when he is out with his father and younger brother, Stanley can be rolled up and carried like a parcel. A few stamps and a bit extra spent on insurance, and he's off and away.

When asked to visit a friend in California, Stanley can save his parents the fare by slipping inside an envelope and being dropped into the mailbox. The idea of a small boy who can do all sorts of unusual things just because he is flat is charmingly simple.

Flat stanley tomi ungerer