It's Only Stanley

It's Only Stanley
Written and illustrated by Jon Agee

My rating: ★★★★

ISBN: 978-0803739079
Publisher: Dial Books
Date of publication: March 17, 2015
Age: 5 - 8 years

Themes: pet dog, family relations, space travel, night noises

Mysterious noises keep waking up the Wimbledon family. "That's very odd," says Mr. Wimbledon each time, but when he returns from checking on the sounds, he's always reassuring: "It's only Stanley; he's fixing the oil tank." "It's only Stanley; he's clearing the bathtub drain." But what Stanley the dog is actually doing while his oblivious family goes back to bed is soon to be obvious...

This book, with the first read through, was pretty weird. But then I read it again, and it was more funny and more involved. It definitely takes a couple reads to find all of the little hints of humor, or hints to the story (think a little like Sam and Dave Dig a Hole). The rhyming text also adds magnificently to the story, especially at the end. The illustrations are super simple, but there's little things to look for, that add to the story and humor. So it was really fantastic, after a couple of times. I recommend it; see what you think.

The conniving pet with rhyming text makes it a good read-alike for Click, Clack, Moo and the other Barnyard Collection books.

Find it at your library or on Amazon