Dear Friend or Relative,
As part of an integrated Language Arts and Geography project, the children in our
class at Heights Elementary School have read a funny book called Flat Stanley by
Jeff Brown. The book is about a young boy named Stanley who is accidentally
squished "as flat as a pancake" when a bulletin board falls on him. Stanley is very,
very flat but otherwise fine. The story goes on to tell how Stanley discovers some real
advantages to being flat. He can slide under doors, go down into sidewalk grates, and
even fold himself up small enough to fit into an envelope and be mailed to California
for an exciting vacation.
We are putting our own little Pittsburgh twist on the project and are sending out paper
dolls that we call FLAT STANLEY CUP (Go Penguins!), and we are sending them
off to visit cities all over America and the WORLD. I have selected you to be FLAT
STANLEY CUP’S "host family" and hope that you will send him back to me after a
short visit telling us (my class) something about your city and the exciting things
FLAT STANLEY CUP saw or did while he was there. We would also appreciate it if
you could let us know approximately how far your city is from mine (Natrona
Heights, Pennsylvania.) so that we can calculate the number of miles FLAT
STANLEY CUP has traveled. Of course, FLAT STANLEY CUP would love to be a
part of pictures with his host family that show an activity that he did or somewhere he
went.
Thank you for letting my FLAT STANLEY CUP come to visit you! But, as we all
know, the cup will return to Pittsburgh very soon, so be sure to send him back to our
school with the enclosed letter and any pictures you might like to share.
Yours truly,
PS. It would be fun to get a postcard from FLAT STANLEY CUP in your town, too!