Stanley, by William Lee (Giveaway x 2)

Our family just recently made an acquaintance with Stanley, who we believe to be a hamster (but can't completely confirm that), created by William Bee. Whether Stanley is a hamster or a guinea pig makes not a lot of difference to us; he is cute and approachable no matter what.

William Bee is the author and illustrator of this brilliant 4-book series which can best be compared to that of Lucy Cousins' Maisy Mouse books. Coincidentally, both Bee and Cousins were born and live in England. They share a a simple manner of telling stories to younger children. Bee's Stanley, much like Maisy Mouse, also appears with simple, bold lines and solid colors. The text is minimal and yet features events or locations which would be familiar to young readers. Calm and relaxing, these stories are perfect for cuddle time and have been enjoyed by all four of my kids! (Bookworm1, my oldest at age 9, is a particular fan of hamsters and has been campaigning for one for some time. He loves these books just as well as the younger kids as a result!)

As mentioned, there are currently four books in this series and they are as follows:

In Stanley's Garage we find Stanely operating a car garage. He helps to put gas into his friend's vehicle, and fixes a variety of problems with many other friends' cars before sending them on their merry way. The conclusion of this book matches the end of all of the rest of the books in the series:

"Time for supper!
Time for a bath!
And time for bed!
Goodnight, Stanley."
Here is an image of one of the page spread from Stanley's Garage to give you an idea of how much text is on each page spread and what the illustrations look like. As you can see, Bee makes good use of simple, bold lines. The minimal text make these books perfect for burgeoning readers and you can expect all Stanley titles to keep to this basic format.

Stanley's Diner was released just a month or so ago and in this title Stanley is found operating a diner. (The titles are supremely suggestive.)

Stanley does a fine job meeting his friends' breakfast needs. He stays busy in the kitchen cooking eggs and tomatoes and mushrooms. He's in possession of a huge toaster and can serve up toast and coffee as requested. It's a busy day and at the end of it he is mighty tired. He heads up for that bath before bed and so ends another day with Stanley.

Stanley the Farmer shows off yet another side of this industrious hamster. This time Stanley is up early plowing fields, planting wheat and spreading manure. His friends come and help him with some of the tasks which is a huge help during this busy, busy day! Stanley is quite pleased because his wheat field look very beautiful. He can go to bed a happy, contented hamster.

Stanley the Builder should be a hit with all children who love watching big machinery. Stanley's friend Myrtle has just bought some land and has asked Stanley to help her build a new house. He bulldozes the property and then begins digging out the foundations with his yellow digger. A variety of equipment is used making it a fun (but busy!) day. Time for that bath and bed once more.

Our kids are just delighted with Stanley and therefore so am I. Our attraction to him probably stems from a love of Maisy Mouse and has appeal in the fact that he is a hamster.

I'm particularly delighted to say that I checked in with Peachtree Publishers and they have offered to give away TWO sets of the above FOUR books to two of my readers here at Reading to Know! Would you like to be included in this drawing? Simply leave your name and a valid e-mail address in the comment section below. This contest is open to U.S. Residents only and will be open through Wednesday, November 11th.

THIS CONTEST IS NOW CLOSED. THE WINNERS, as selected by random.org, ARE #s 15 (Shonya) and 3 (Jessica)! CONGRATS!

Many thanks to Peachtree Publishers who sent the above titles my direction in order to facilitate this review and giveaway. I received no additional compensation and all opinions are 100% my very own.