Stanley Mows the Lawn [Hardcover]

Craig Frazier (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 14, 2005 | Grade Level: P and up | Series: Stanley

One day, Stanley sets out to mow his lawn. Up and back, up and back, there's only one way to do it...or is there? Renowned graphic designer and illustrator Craig Frazier has combined bold, dynamic illustrations with a simple story that celebrates the imagination and the art of looking at the world in your own way.

Editorial Reviews

Review

Received Wanda Gág Book Award Honor. Award and honors go to the best 2005 read-aloud children's picture books. -- Wanda Gág Book Award Honor 2006, Minnesota State University Moorhead

About the Author

Craig Frazier is recognized worldwide for his illustration and graphic design. He is the author of Stanley Goes for a Drive and The Illustrated Voice (a personal monograph) and is the designer of the Adobe typeface Critter. He is married with two children and lives in sunny Northern California.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 40 pages
• Publisher: Chronicle Books; Library Binding edition (April 14, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0811848469
• ISBN-13: 978-0811848466
• Product Dimensions: 10.1 x 7.5 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #616,291 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Graphics and Twisty Plot, December 30, 2005

By 

M. Allen Greenbaum (California) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Stanley Mows the Lawn (Hardcover)

Famed graphic designer Craig Frazier draws massive but simple geometrical shapes, muscular outlines, and flattened but textured backgrounds that show off Stanley, the protagonist of this book and the earlier "Stanley Goes for a Drive." Frazier chose pleasing shades of computer-generated green for `Lawn,' as opposed to the somewhat ugly, almost sickening brown that predominates in `Drive." As a result, nothing detracts from Frazier's graphic mastery, and he treats the reader to an aesthetic triumph.

Aside from the unexpectedly luminescent green sky, Frazier constantly surprises the reader with his abrupt changes in composition and point of view. The first two-page spread shows Stanley's boots and upper calves only, set against a dark green blades and a low horizon of green sky with milky white clouds. Turn the page and you see all of Stanley, but he's a small figure in the upper left corner of a page that shows a gigantic textured green lawn. A spray of cut leaves arches over Stanley's small but powerful figure, framing and defining him. Finally, the next two-page illustration shows a close profile of Stanley mowing, with his oversized, powerful legs and arms, and a determined look on his face as his black and gold mover cut a swath almost as deep as his boots. These varied, imaginative illustrations make for a very appealing and magnetic book, especially for those interested in or drawn this bold style of illustration.

Yes, there's a plot, too. It's simple but clever. It coordinates with the pictures but takes a back seat to them. As Stanley mows his deep straight furrows, he sees a friendly long green snake ("Hank") slithering between the cut and uncut sections. Taking a clue from Hank's curvy, twisting shape, we read:

"Stanley had an idea. Stanley zigged. And Stanley zagged. When Stanley finished mowing, he looked at the lawn. He liked it. And so did Hank."

We see overhead and straight-on views of Stanley's lawn sculpture: Instead of one even plane, the lawn alternates cut and uncut rows of undulating green, suggesting breaking waves or a chorus line of snakes. Craig Frazier's varied, imaginative illustrations and spare but complementary story make for a very appealing and compelling book, especially for those interested in or drawn to this bold style of illustration.

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Alternative Ending, August 25, 2005

By 

C. Lerable (Salinas, California) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Stanley Mows the Lawn (Hardcover)

This is truly a fun book. Beautifully illustrated. Unique. It challenged my imagination thus:

As Stanley was mowing his tall lawn

Mr. Snake was apparently not gone.

As the mower grew near

Mr. Snake could not hear

And forever became part of the lawn.

I think Craig Fraizier's book will inspire you too.

4.0 out of 5 stars My boys like it, November 18, 2009

By 

P. Smith (Wisconsin) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Stanley Mows the Lawn (Hardcover)

Simple story. Great artwork. My boys enjoy this one. There really aren't a lot of stories out there about mowing so it's a nice change of pace. I enjoy exposing them to different types of art as well as great stories and this one is really more about the artwork than the story for me. But the story seems to work for the boys so we're all happy.