Flat Stanly Takes a Ride

If you don't know who Flat Stanley is, he is a boy who got squished by a bulletin board and now travels the country in an envelope.  My niece sent me her Flat Stanley and this is what I sent back to her class.

Flat Stanly Takes a Ride




Flat Stanly was VERY excited the day he arrived at Bethany's aunt's house. The second Bethany told him her aunt was a Farmer, there was only one thing he could think of doing. He wanted to go for a ride!

"Hello there Flat Stanly!" The farmer said cheerfully. "We are so glad to have you on our farm. What would you like to do first?"

"I want to go for a ride! I want to ride every animal you have!" Flat Stanly shouted with glee. The farmer looked concerned and said, "You know Stanly, everyone here on the farm has a job including each animal. They are pretty busy, but you may ask them for a ride."

Flat Stanly was sure that the animals would say yes, so he ran to the first ones he saw.

"Mr. Pig! Mrs. Pig! May I please have a ride?!" he asked.

"Oh no, no, no, no." snorted the pigs. "WE are American Guinea Hogs. WE are very important you know. There are very few of us left. We are so very busy eating grass and keeping snakes away from the house. We are much too busy to give you a ride."

Flat Stanly was not upset a bit. There were plenty of animals on the farm so he went to the next animals he saw.

"Mr. Chicken! Mrs. Chicken! May I please, please have a ride?" he asked a little less hopeful than last time.

"Oh, no, no, no, no." squawked the chickens. "WE are much too busy eating bad bugs and laying eggs. We cannot give you a ride."

Flat Stanly walked a little slower to the next animals he saw. He began to think he would never get a ride.

"Mr. Dogs? May I please, please, please have a ride?" Flat Stanly asked with little enthusiasm.

"Oh, no, no, no, no." woofed the dogs. "We are livestock guardian dogs. We are much too busy guarding the animals from hawks and coyotes to give you a ride."

Flat Stanly was sad. He walked slowly to where the farmer was working in her big garden. "What's the matter?" asked the farmer. "No one will give me a ride. They are all too busy." Replied Stanly. "Well" said the farmer with a grin, "Maybe you should find a job to keep you busy on the farm." Flat Stanly thought for a moment. "Ah ha!!" he exclaimed. "I have it!"

He ran straight to the pigs and asked, "Mr. Pig, Mrs. Pig. How would you like help looking for snakes and the best grass? If I sit on your shoulders, I could be your look out!" "That sounds just fine." Said the pigs. Flat Stanly rode the pigs for most of the morning until they decided it was time for an afternoon nap. Flat Stanly took a little nap too, resting on Bethany's pig called Lana.

Then he ran to the chickens. "Mr. Chicken, Mrs. Chicken. How would you like help looking for bad bugs and safe places to lay your eggs? If I sit on your shoulders, I could be your look out!" "That sounds just fine." Said the chickens. Flat Stanly rode the chickens until the evening when they went in their roost for the night.

Then Flat Stanly ran to the dogs. "Mr. Dogs! How would you like help looking for coyotes and hawks? If I sit on your shoulders, I can be your look out!" "That sounds just fine." Said the dogs. So Stanly rode on the dogs shoulders well into the night. He was so tired and wrinkled by bed time, that he hardly noticed the farmer tuck him into his envelope. Flat Stanly had not only gotten his ride, but he had found a way to be useful on the farm, just like everyone else.