BIDDEFORD — On Monday, the Biddeford Primary School library was alternately filled with the sounds of second-graders’ laughter and the relative quiet of a single voice as the students listened with rapt attention to the tales of author and illustrator Scott Nash.

Throughout the day, Nash worked with each of the second-grade classes at BPS, taking them through his creative process.

He showed them how he formed a character, from a rough sketch, to a more refined drawing, and then into the final product as he read from some of the books he authored and/or illustrated.

Later, Nash instructed the children on how to come up with their own sketches and let them try their hand at creating characters.

Nash has worked on a number of books with which the students were familiar, but by far his most famous work is the illustrations he created for the book “Flat Stanley,” written by Jeff Brown, and the five other books by Brown based on the Stanley character.

Nash said he was a childhood fan of “Flat Stanley: His Original Adventure!” when the first book came out 50 years ago, in 1964.

Flat Stanley is the story of a Stanley Lambchop, a kid who becomes flattened by the bulletin board hanging over his head. He visits his friends by being sent in the mail and goes on adventures.

“As a kid,” said Nash, “I was fascinated with the idea of a kid becoming flattened and mailing yourself.”

He said the story inspired him and his friends to send flattened characters in the mail to one another.

Before he was hired to illustrate the Stanley Lambchop book series, Nash said he based a short-lived comic strip on the Flat Stanley character. Nash said he almost didn’t get the illustration job because his agent rejected it. When Nash found out, he had to have the agent call back and accept.

Nash said he was thrilled and excited to work with Flat Stanley’s creator Jeff Brown. Nash re-illustrated all six Stanley Lambchop books authored by Brown. Although there’s a new series of books based on the Flat Stanley character, being produced by the HarperCollins Publishers, Nash said he is not involved with those books.

As an adult, Nash said he’s most inspired by the Flat Stanley phenomenon.

In the mid-1990s, teacher Dale Hubert of Ontario, Canada created “The Flat Stanley Project” designed to “foster authentic literacy activities for kids and get them excited to write about Stanley’s adventures,” according to the flatstanley.com website.

Hubert invited other teachers to take part. Today, thousands of students and classrooms take part in the project, mailing Flat Stanley back and forth around the globe.

Flat Stanley has traveled the world, been to outer space, been pictured with presidents and had many other adventures.

Last year in Biddeford, said BPS Principal Margaret Pitts, school volunteer Roland Pelletier, who died last year, took Flat Stanley around town with him. Flat Stanley was even kidnapped and held for ransom, she said.

Nash was brought in this week as part of the second-grade students’ March Flat Stanley Around the World unit.

By using the character, said second-grade teacher Krystan Gorrivan, it provides a fun way to get students to read more, to learn more about different cultures ”“ places around the world to which Stanley has traveled ”“ and to learn about geography.

For instance, she said, her students will be learning about Egypt with the help of Flat Stanley. There are pictures of Stanley outside of the pyramids and other famous Egyptian landmarks where he has been taken by his fans.

Flat Stanley even makes it into the BPS music program. Gorrivan said all second-graders will be learning the Flat Stanley song.

Second-grade teacher Lori Flynn, who was one of the main organizer’s of Nash’s visit, said it was made possible by a donation from Sally Kennedy and the Maine Community Foundation.

— Staff Writer Dina Mendros can be contacted at 282-1535, ext. 324 or [email protected].