It's Only Stanley - by Jon Agee (Hardcover)

About the Book

Very strange noises that keep awakening the Wimbledon family one night have an even stranger source.

Book Synopsis

Fans of Jon Klassen and Oliver Jeffers will love this mischievously funny read-aloud from award-winning author/illustrator Jon Agee

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 deliciously absurd: he's turning the house into a rocket ship to zoom himself and his family to another planet for an alien encounter. This is a perfect rhyming read-aloud for fans of irreverent tales like Click Clack Moo and I Want My Hat Back.

Review Quotes

Praise for It's Only Stanley

A Boston Globe-Horn Book Award Honor Book
Washington Post Best Children's Books of 2015
Boston Globe Best Books of 2015
Booklist Editors' Choice 2015
A Horn Book Fanfare Book
Huffington Post Best Picture Books of 2015 (Winner: Funniest)

"Delightful."--The Boston Globe

"[A] superbly absurd tale . . . The rhyming text is natural and paced for surprise. And the droll watercolors handle facial expressions well from aggravation to awe to admiraton."--The San Francisco Chronicle

* "Agee and his simple, droll watercolors return with a work that manages to be absurdist, alarming, and--just when you least expect it--poignant. . . . Very strange, and very, very wonderful."--Booklist, starred review

* "Agee appeals to connoisseurs of the absurd, and he shapes ridiculous developments into a tightly composed and satisfying picture book."--Publishers Weekly, starred review

"Fun--just plain fun."--Kirkus

"Agee knows what his young readers want--plain silliness--and he delivers. Hilarious."--School Library Journal

About the Author

Jon Agee is the beloved author and illustrator of many acclaimed picture books, including Terrific (a New York Times Best Illustrated Book), Milo's Hat Trick (an ALA Notable Book), and the recent Little Santa, an ALA Notable Book and recipient of five starred reviews. He lives in San Francisco, California.