Stan the Hot Dog Man

by Ethel Kessler, Leonard Kessler

When Stan leaves his job at the bakery, he starts off in a brand new job as a hot dog man. He likes the fresh air, the friends he makes, and the time to go fishing. Plus he makes the best hot dogs around!

Suddenly, in a terrible blizzard, a school bus becomes stranded in the snow. And who comes to the rescue?

Stan the Hot Dog Man!

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens, Food, 1st Grade, Fiction

64 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1990

Reviews

[Bernadette Davis · Rating 5 out of 5]

I feel like such a cheat, putting this book on my 'read' bookshelf. But, I'd be lying if I told you that I didn't read this book many many many many times when I was young and that it was a big part of my early reading days. ( I still don't know why I liked it so much.) A man. A hotdog truck. The name Stan. All sounds pretty original to me. Original in a weird, wonderful way. And I love every bit of it.

[Daniel Andrews · Rating 4 out of 5]

Should be Dan the Hot Dog Man.

[Anthony · Rating 3 out of 5]

Stan is retiring from the bakery, but he is not ready to stop working. So he opens a hot dog food truck stand, and is know as Stan the Hot Dog Man. During a winter storm, a school bus gets stranded, and the driver and two children seek refuge inside of Stan's hot dog truck until the snow plow comes and clears the way.

[Emily Kinsman · Rating 5 out of 5]

11/28
Fiction
K-2nd
Reading this for the 5th time, I still love the cute little retired man and his hot dog story. My Grandpa who has passed bought me this book when I was very young. I always thought it was so funny that there was a book about hot dogs! I loved reading it even at 20 years old.

[Hannah Nurrieum · Rating 5 out of 5]

Family favorite

[Jared Willett · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jospef Pieper wrote that "the contrary of acedia is not the spirit of work in the sense of the work of every day, of earning one’s living; it is man’s happy and cheerful affirmation of his own being, his acquiescence in the world and in God—which is to say love." I have found no better representative of this idea that Stan the Hot Dog Man. Stan represents work teleologically. He works, not to earn a living, but as a cheerful affirmation of his being. Stan works, not as an effort to self-justify his existence, but mirrors the grace of God toward him in love. Stan mortifies acedia while simultaneously escaping the interior labor camp of compulsion. Selling hot dogs is for Stan the Hot Dog Man a free act of love. Under the curse God declares to every man: "In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread." (Gen. 3:19) and "in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life." (Gen 3:18) Under the cross God declares to every man: "Take, eat: this is my body, which is broken for you..." (1 Cor 11:24) and "For my flesh is meat indeed, and my blood is drink indeed." (Jn. 6:55) Stan offers back to God the whole self, the 'daily bread' by which he exists. His hot dog truck is "the nicest hot dog truck I ever saw." Stan's hot dog truck functions as a vehicle for eucharistic self-giving for the sake of the world, allowing Stan to give himself as a self-oblation to God.

[Justin · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this many many times as a pre-schooler/kindergartener and according to my parents it was my favorite, so I bought it for my son. I was fully expecting to be let down as an adult, but it holds up surprisingly well over 30 years later. The illustrations are colorful yet calming. The story is simple but not pointless. It builds a character, introduces a need, throws in a conflict, and solves both by the end. If I had any complaint at all, it would be that it took almost four decades to identify with the main character. I say that mostly in jest, but it is a credit to the book that it entertains toddlers so well while being about a retiree that opens a business. I tried to start small kid businesses for my entire childhood (snack stand, card shop, etc) so maybe it had a larger impact on me than I realize. My son is a bit too young to understand but the pictures hold his attention well. Great pick if you want a classic style book for your kids.

[Matthew · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was pretty good. It's about an elderly man named Stan who retires from a bakery but doesn't want to quit working, so he starts his own hot dog truck business. Things are going great until one day, he is stranded in a snowstorm with a bus driver and two kids, and they need to survive. Luckily Stan knew how to keep the people warm and well-fed. It's a great book about not settling down, staying active, and loving your work. My rating - 4/5

[Elizabeth · Rating 5 out of 5]

It was recommended to me by a 6 year old when they turned in their summer reading card, so I had to read it. Pretty sure I read it as a child too because it seemed familiar.

[Calli Leventis · Rating 2 out of 5]

Simple, kind of cute. I expected cuter, from the title, to be honest!

[Grant Clemans · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book in elementary and it helped with my AR points. Its not a long book and is an easy read. It took me less than a week to read and I don't like reading. Overall good book.

[Dawn · Rating 5 out of 5]

RIP Leonard Kessler.

[Reve · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not sure how he made much money with how many free hotdogs he gave away, but he was sure happy.

[Ash · Rating 5 out of 5]

A cute story about a retiring baker with nice illustrations. The plot is cute and warms the heart.

[Jim Lehman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Who doesn’t like a good book about hot dogs and guys who sell them? Stan retires from his job at the bakery and embarks on his life’s dream—to be a hot dog man. He buys a hot dog truck and goes out to make the world a better place by selling hot dogs. It’s clear that Stan is not in it for the money—he gives away free hot dogs to community helpers and creates impromptu sales to help out a family in need while preserving their dignity. The only instance of Stan’s foolishness is when he goes out to sell hot dogs in a snowstorm, but even then he “happens” to be in the right place at the right time to give aid and comfort to school children stranded in the storm until the diligent snowplowers come to save the day. In the end, Stan is just a regular guy doing what he loves and meeting the needs of others. We could all stand to be a little more like Stan!

[Alyssa Williams · Rating 3 out of 5]

"Stan the Hot Dog Man" is a picture book written by Ethal Kessler. The story is about a man named Stan who sells hotdogs on the same corner every day. He retires from a bakery and pursues his job of selling hotdogs. Stan is an awesome role model for children. He truly cares and helps other people with a positive attitude, while showing responsibility in what he does. Stan was a special character who always cares about everyone else. This is a excellent book for the classroom and to teach virtues. Generosity, responsibility, and love were the three main virtues I learned from this book.

[Rosa Cline · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a level 2 reader but I would say more of an 'advanced' step 2, than a beginner step 2.

Stan is retiring from his job and he wants to do something he loves, and that's selling hot dogs. He has a corner where he sells them and develops friends during that time. When it snows heavily he gets stuck but so does some of his friends. He takes care of them all by 'camping out' in the hot dog van until they get rescued.

This was an unusual story not one of dogs, or cats, or little children. But main character is an elderly man which I thought was really neat.

[Theresa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Geoffrey who is in kindergarten read this to me last night. It is his book for AR points. I thought he did a great job as it is a level 2 book. I had to help him with only some of the words. I liked that the story is about a retired man, Stan, and what he does after he retires from his job. Most of the fiction books geared for young readers seem to be about cute animals or children.

[Lee Anne · Rating 5 out of 5]

A cute story with a good message.

[Chak · Rating 3 out of 5]

Hot dog man helps children in a bus trapped in a snow storm and everything turns out great. Decent easy reader book.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute story that was surprisingly complex for an easy reader at this level.

[Theresa · Rating 3 out of 5]

"about the reality of finding your dream, and the kindness of strangers
"

[Chrissy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good book to beginner readers. My kids like the story.

[A.j. Tobia · Rating 5 out of 5]

one of my favorite books I read growing up. an excellent story

[Scott Unfried · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is another one of my childhood favorites. There is something so crucial and formative about these books that draw the reader in.

[Krystal · Rating 2 out of 5]

we had high hopes for this one. tommy was excited that it involved hot dogs but that was about it for him.

[Michael Fitzgerald · Rating 3 out of 5]

This seems like a really good book for senior citizens who have retired and are now just getting around to learning how to read. However, why a kid would want to read it is beyond me.

[Cws]

JEAR2-Kes

[Mason · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was my favorite book in my second grade classroom.