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Searching... Silver Falls Library | JP BAILEY | Searching... Unknown |
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Summary
Summary
Stanley's people go out a lot. Stanley is a good dog, but one night, while they're away, the temptation becomes too great and he sneaks up onto the couch. What a wonderful experience! Soon he's also blasting the music, dancing around the living room and raiding the fridge. Stanley's never had so much fun! But after a couple of weeks something is missing, and Stanley realises that partying alone has lost its thrill. Ages 3-7
Author Notes
Linda Bailey is an award-winning author of many books for children, including Goodnight Sweet Pig, Stanley's Party, the Stevie Diamond Mysteries, and the Good Times Travel Agency series. She lives in Vancouver, British Columbia.
Bill Slavin is an award-winning children's book illustrator with over 50 books to his credit. His works include Stanley's Party and The Bear on the Bed He lives in Millbrook, Ontario.
Reviews (5)
School Library Journal Review
PreS-Gr 3-With chuckles on nearly every page, this humorous story makes an ideal read-aloud. One night when his owners are out, a scruffy brown dog carefully climbs onto the forbidden soft sofa and discovers how comfortable it is. His "people" are rarely home before midnight, so he begins experimenting with other taboo activities: he turns on the stereo, dances up a storm, and raids the refrigerator. Wanting to spread the joy, he invites his canine friends over for some fun. The word spreads and soon Stanley's house is overrun with partying pooches. Unfortunately, his owners come home early and discover the revelry. Having learned their lesson, Stanley's people now take their pet with them whenever they go out for the evening. The breezy text brims with Stanley's inner thoughts and dialogue. Painted in acrylics over gessoed paper, the illustrations have a scratchy, terrier-furlike texture. Observant readers will find plenty to laugh about in the mostly full-page spreads, which are awash with cool, muted tones. Slavin captures the frivolity of Stanley's bash by portraying a pooch wearing a lampshade and a budding romance between a diminutive Yorkie and a brown-and-white bulldog. Dog lovers and party animals alike will howl with delight.-Shawn Brommer, South Central Library System, Madison, WI (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Publisher's Weekly Review
It is truly a dog's life for the barrel-chested pooch Stanley, once he discovers that he can loll on the forbidden couch, crank up the stereo and raid the fridge with impunity-as long as he covers his tracks before "[his] people" return from their frequent late nights out. Knowing that readers will find parallels in their own covert episodes, Bailey and Slavin (previously teamed for the Good Times Travel Agency series) extol the heady liberation that comes from Stanley's pushing the bad behavior envelope. "The couch was more comfortable than he'd ever dreamed.... He put his paws up on the cushions. He sprawled and squirmed and sniffed the leather trim. The couch was wonderful!" Working in nubby and almost iridescent acrylics, Slavin captures Stanley in a state of illicit, legs-in-the-air ecstasy. His portrayals of dogs throughout offer a hilarious, knowing perspective. The lush life comes crashing down, however, when Stanley decides to share the fun with his canine friends (including the memorably named Gassy Jack), and word hits the doggie grapevine, bringing out "Drooling dogs. Dainty dogs. Dogs that needed a bath." Yet readers will cheer that the lesson of the resulting canine mele is directed not at Stanley, but rather his mildly neglectful owners. This is first-class entertainment all the way, with a last line-"If you don't believe me, ask your dog"-that's cheekiness itself. Ages 3-7. (Mar.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Horn Book Review
When Stanley's people go out, he learns how to open the refrigerator and turn on the stereo, just the right ingredients for a dog party. He invites all the dogs in the neighborhood, and they have a jiving, boogying bash--until Stanley's people come home early. The amusing full-page acrylic illustrations enhance Stanley's personality as he figures out how to get what he wants. From HORN BOOK Fall 2003, (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Kirkus Review
Stanley the yellow lab brings new meaning to the term "party animal" in this hilarious story from Bailey and Slavin, creators of the Good Times Travel Agency series (Adventures in Ancient Greece, not reviewed, etc.). When Stanley's owners leave him alone (and lonely) every night, he gradually learns to expand his behavioral parameters. First he climbs onto the couch without being caught; next he learns how to turn on the music and kick up his heels; and then it's on to extra meals from the refrigerator. Finally he invites all the neighbor dogs over for a real party; they in turn invite all their friends, and the ensuing risky business results in a wild party with dozens of dogs dancing, eating, and generally whooping it up. (Don't miss the cavorting canine on the cover with the lampshade on his head or the miniature poodle swinging from the chandelier.) Of course, the owners come home early that night--illustrated with a memorable spread of all the dogs staring buggy-eyed at the door in horror. In a satisfying conclusion, Stanley gets to ride along with his owners at night when they go out, and the story of the wild party continues to circulate throughout the canine world. ("And if you don't believe me, ask your dog.") Slavin's polished paintings of Stanley's antics and Bailey's confident, breezy story add up to a triumphant cautionary tale that will leave both adults and kids laughing. Party on, Stanley. (Picture book. 3-7) Copyright ©Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Booklist Review
PreS-Gr. 2. In Hoe Baek Lee's While We Were Out BKL Ap 15 03, a pet rabbit explores the house while her owners are out. This book has the same premise, but the pet is a dog, and his adventures turn raucous. The first night Stanley's people are gone, he timidly jumps on the couch. When he realizes that his owners haven't noticed, he begins taking larger liberties--playing music, eating leftovers from the fridge. Then, like so many teenagers, Stanley gets a bright idea: he'll have a party! He invites dogs from all over the neighborhood, and they tear the house apart. Then his owners return. The downside of Stanley's merrymaking is having to clean the house; the upside is being taken along whenever his people go out. A clever ending is a twist on the idea of a dog's tale. The artwork, executed in acrylics, is bursting with life, especially the last several scenes in which dogs of every shape and stripe cavort around the house. A well-plotted delight. --Ilene Cooper Copyright 2003 Booklist