Stuttering Stan Takes a Stand by Artie Knapp, Barbara L. Gibson (Illustrator)

Product Details

From the Publisher

Stanley is like most squirrels: he loves nuts, climbing trees and playing with friends. But Stanley feels different from the other animals in his neighborhood, because he has a problem with words. Teased and bullied about his stuttering, Stanley refuses to let on that his feelings are being hurt, until one day he learns an important lesson from a new friend.

Children's Literature

A squirrel named Stanley stutters and the other animals tease him. Then, he finds boxes of candy bars which have fallen from a truck. Stanley is stashing them in a tree when a chipmunk named Earl says that he wants some. Stanley won't share with Earl because Earl teases him. But then, Raker, a raccoon with a patch over one eye, comes by and eats all the candy bars that are still out. Stanley takes some of his stashed candy to another neighborhood to eat. There, a lady squirrel named Shelby befriends him and he shares his candy with her. While hoarding the candy, Stanley feels lonely. However, Raker spreads the word about the candy, and soon all the animals want some. Stanley is sharing with all the animals when Raker appears and demands that the animals give all the candy to him. They acquiesce. Then Raker teases Shelby about her missing front teeth. Stanley sees that Shelby's feelings are hurt, and he finally stands up to Raker—with interesting consequences. The tale is told in one long sequence with no chapter breaks. Large print and a few colored pictures may encourage children to read this book with a mission. Reviewer: Carlee Hallman