THE MOUNT RUSHMORE CALAMITY

Flat Stanley is back and better than ever. Pennypacker’s revival of this perennially popular character should engender great enthusiasm and may even create new fans for this old favorite. Broad humor, action-packed adventure and a tinge of sibling rivalry combine to create a brisk tale that will ably entertain young readers. A most felicitous use of language mimics (and oh-so-gently mocks) the ingenuous, gee-whiz tone of the original. The plot, naturally, is paper-thin but full of incidents that allow Stanley to use his unusual qualities to save the day. In this series starter, Stanley and his family visit Mount Rushmore, where he prevents a rockslide and rescues his brother and a new friend from a cave-in. His adventures continue in The Great Egyptian Grave Robbery (ISBN: 978-0-06-142993-4; paper 978-0-06-142992-7). The series focus on geography is an appealing nod to the oft-assigned school project that asks children to mail their own versions of Stanley to far-off friends. Although Pamintuan’s final illustrations were not seen, the sample sketches match the playful tone of the text. (Fiction. 7-9)