In his latest outing, Stanley's home life goes awry when he suddenly finds himself with a new feline sister. Now Stanley must cope with feelings of jealousy and sibling rivalry.
Stanley the dog has a new little sister, but there's a problem - she's a cat. Stanley tries to be nice and befriend her by licking her face and offering to share his favorite toys. However, the cat does not speak Dog and only responds by batting and hissing at Stanley before running away. Stanley cannot resist a running cat and chases her every time, against his better judgment, finally landing him at night outside on the porch all alone. If your little one has younger siblings (or is expecting one), the story of Stanley will definately relate to your child, and may help a new older brother or sister learn how to adjust to their changing role and new sibling. Although this is a big subject, the painted cartoon pictures are large, colorful, and fun to keep the mood light and even a bit silly.
Stanley faces many of the same obstacles your child may have faced when a new brother or sister came home for the first time. He is not sure where the cat came from or why he wasn't asked if he wanted one; he experiences jealousy that the cat gets to sleep on his people's laps since he is too big and has to stay on the floor; and he just doesn't know how to communicate with the cat since they don't speak the same language. Identifying these feelings will help your child see how Stanley's situation relates to them. An important lesson from the book is how the cat finally comes to Stanley and they get along when Stanley is calm, quiet, and still - the same way your little one would likely need to be in order to get a good reaction from a new baby sister or brother.