A dear friend's daughter asked me to take Flat Annie on a recent trip to India. Annie, a 2nd grade student, wrote a letter, which read in part, "We just finished reading a book about Flat Stanley. This book is about a boy that gets flattened, but not hurt, when a bulletin board falls on top of him. His parents decide that since he is flat, they can send him in an envelope to California to visit a friend. Inside this envelope, you will find a flattened version of me. I have come to visit you. I am trying to find out about where you live and have a little fun. Please spend a day or two with me doing some of your favorite things." I spent about two weeks taking Flat Annie around in the Indian state of Haryana, where I grew up.
In researching about the project, I discovered that Flat Stanley is a 1964 children's book written by Jeff Brown. In 1995 the Flat Stanley Project was started as an "international literacy and community building activity for students of all ages, teachers and families."
In showing Flat Annie around I developed a new appreciation of the way of life and culture in Haryana - its foods, its customs, its festivals, its villages, its home life, its street life... Below is a collection of Flat Annie's discoveries in Haryana set to the vocals of a dear aunt and Runa Laila!!
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