Great Uncle Stanley

by Lane, Katherine; Wells, Thomas

• ISBN13: 9781912969098
• ISBN10: 1912969092
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2020-06-18
• Publisher: Redshank Books

Summary

An illustrated book aimed at 4-8 year olds Children are often more attentive than we give them credit for. Parents aren’t. Kevin is a sensitive boy, who listens to his mum. Mum does not take any real notice of what Kevin does, preferring to concentrate her efforts in raising his awareness of the dangers that surround him in his everyday life. The vehicle for this education by fear is ‘Great Uncle Stanley’, a distant and unseen relative whose careless behaviour resulted in a series of spectacular mishaps. The book follows these misadventures, with Kevin’s mental image of Great Uncle Stanley growing ever more dreadful through the cumulative effects of his various calamities. The mother is oblivious of the impact her homilies are having on Kevin. Eventually, Kevin’s mental picture of Great Uncle Stanley is as grotesque as Dorian Gray’s portrait after a particularly hedonistic session. When his mother announces that Great Uncle Stanley has paid them an unexpected call, Kevin’s reaction is to run screaming from this hideous apparition. In the wake of Kevin’s frantic departure Great Uncle Stanley (who bears none of the imagined scars) turns to Kevin’s mother and warns her of the consequences of exaggerating life’s dangers … by doing the same to her.

Author Biography

Katherine Lane graduated (twice) from the University of Chichester – firstly with a History degree, and then with a teaching qualification. She has always loved a good children’s book. Katherine has worked with children for years and is a mother of three young children herself (none of whom have shown the diligence and earnestness of this book's protagonist, Kevin). Great Uncle Stanley is her first foray in writing for the little angels. Thomas Wells graduated from Sheffield Hallam University in 2003 with a BA(Hons) in Fine Art after moving to Sheffield from the beautiful Suffolk coast where he grew up. His weekly walks around Sheffield and the surrounding countryside inspire his art, as does his love of the city, with its rich industrial heritage, fascinating Victorian parks, lush valleys and hidden waterways.