The New York Times Book Review - Bruce Handy
[Stanley's] nocturnal banging and clanking seems random, but Agee orchestrates it all toward a glorious, surprising and very funny climax, one in which he wisely decides not to use his words, as they might say in preschool, and lets his pictures take over. Stories with punch lines can grow old; this one, clever and open-ended, will bear repetition, and probably command it.
Publishers Weekly
★ 01/12/2015
Stanley the beagle is a diehard fixer-upper, and for some reason he likes doing noisy chores in the middle of the night. One by one, he wakes up every member of the alliteratively named Wimbledon family, from parents Wilma and Walter to their four children. Agee (Terrific) establishes a rhythmic word-and-picture formula in which Walter goes downstairs on six separate occasions, checks on Stanley (always in a wordless spread), and reports back to his restless family: “The Wimble- dons were sleeping./ It was later than before./ When Wendy heard a clanking sound,/ Below her bedroom floor./ ‘That’s very odd,’ said Walter./ Then they heard another clank!/ ‘It’s only Stanley,’ Walter said./ ‘He fixed the oil tank.’ ” Visual hints suggest that the industrious dog has more on his mind than home improvement, and rereadings shed light on Stanley’s master plan to transform the Wimbledons’ steeply pitched Victorian house into a rocket. As in Milo’s Hat Trick, Agee appeals to connoisseurs of the absurd, and he shapes ridiculous developments into a tightly composed and satisfying picture book. Ages 5–8. Agent: Holly McGhee, Pippin Properties. (Mar.)
From the Publisher
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
School Library Journal - Audio
06/01/2015
PreK-Gr 1—"The Wimbledons were sleeping. It was very, very late." Thus the stage is set for the peculiar night to come. These family members are periodically awakened by a spooky sound, a strange clanking, a funky smell, and a splashy sound. Each time, Mr. Wimbledon drags himself out of bed to investigate the noises, only to discover that their dog Stanley has been hard at work. Stanley fixes their oil tank and their old television. He clears the bathtub drain and makes catfish stew. As the Wimbledons become more and more exasperated in their quest for sleep, the final straw is the "KAPOW" explosion. With that, the family is off to the moon! The accompanying jazz song in the minor key and the sound effects enhance the mystery of the industrious pet. It is only at the end of the tale that listeners realize Stanley's first noise, his howling at the moon, is an indication of his intent. Narrator George Newbern mirrors perfectly the increasing incredulity that listeners will feel. VERDICT Agee's imaginative story line and characteristic magical wordplay are undeniably extremely entertaining. The repetition and rhyme will appeal to even the youngest of listeners.—Terri Perper, Olney Elementary School, MD
School Library Journal
01/01/2015
PreS-Gr 2—Agee applies his trademark humor to a wacky new picture book, featuring Stanley, a beagle whose odd nocturnal activities keep his family from sleeping. The single-minded canine drives the Wimbledons crazy one night, howling at the moon, fixing the oil tank, repairing an old TV, and making catfish stew, before finally revealing his master plan. Written in verse, the text serves up plenty of laughs, though a few rhymes seem a bit forced ("It was late as it can get,/When Wanda heard a buzzing noise/That made her all upset."). Agee's signature cartoon style is ideal for the narrative, and the expressions of the various characters, from the endearingly eccentric, steadfast Stanley to the beleaguered Wimbledons, are simple yet endlessly entertaining. The responses of the put-upon family cat in particular will provoke plenty of giggles (for instance, it's seen slurping at the catfish stew on a spread, then turning green on the following one). Sound effects ("SPLISH SPLASH," "KAPOW!") add to the zany humor, making this one perfect for read-alouds. The out-of-this-world but amusing conclusion is appropriately odd and surprising. Agee knows what his young readers want—plain silliness—and he delivers. Hilarious.—Mahnaz Dar, School Library Journal
Kirkus Reviews
2014-12-10
The Wimbledon family—mother, father, four children, a cat, and Stanley, a brilliantly inventive beagle—have a sleepless night. One by one, mother Wilma, daughters Wendy and Wanda, and sons Willie and Wylie rouse father Walter to investigate one peculiar sound after another. It turns out that "It's only Stanley," noisily at work cooking, fixing drains, the oil tank and an old TV, and occasionally howling at the moon. (Beagles are famous for baying.) But Stanley has a plan that will give them an adventure in near space—a trip to the moon in their house, now a rocket ship thanks to his romantic determination and his inventive genius. Agee's rhyming verse is set out in a rhythmic pattern that concludes each stanza after a wordless spread that illustrates Stanley's activities, heightening the humor and the humans' befuddlement. Each character has a distinct personality and is easily identifiable in the humorous washes—especially the worker dog, busily creating an almighty mess throughout the house. Stanley's mechanical inventions are full of detail that will captivate young tinkerers. Readers and listeners will enjoy the adventure and know what Stanley is up to before the final climactic sequence. Fun—just plain fun. (Picture book. 6-8)
