The Stinky Cheese Man and other Fairly Stupid Tales by Jon Scieszka & Lane Smith

Title: The Stinky Cheese Man and other Fairly Stupid Tales
Author: Jon Scieszka
Illustrator: Lane Smith
Length: 54 pages
Publisher: Scholastic 
Classification: Children's Book, Caldecott Honor Book, Humor
Release Date: January 1992
Source: Paperback

If geese had graves, Mother Goose would be rolling in hers. The Stinky Cheese Man and Other Fairly Stupid Tales retells--and wreaks havoc on--the allegories we all thought we knew by heart. In these irreverent variations on well-known themes, the ugly duckling grows up to be an ugly duck, and the princess who kisses the frog wins only a mouthful of amphibian slime. The Stinky Cheese Man deconstructs not only the tradition of the fairy tale but also the entire notion of a book. Our naughty narrator, Jack, makes a mockery of the title page, the table of contents, and even the endpaper by shuffling, scoffing, and generally paying no mind to structure. Characters slide in and out of tales; Cinderella rebuffs Rumpelstiltskin, and the Giant at the top of the beanstalk snacks on the Little Red Hen. There are no lessons to be learned or morals to take to heart--just good, sarcastic fun that smart-alecks of all ages will love. 

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Cutie Pie's Thoughts:

What is this book about?
The book is about a Stinky-Cheese Man and the Narrator Jack is very ridiculous. He wrote the stories wrong that are actually fairy-tales. He called them fairly-tales.

What was your favorite part of the story?
Well, I like the part where he was had big words on the top and when he went to the bottom the words were smaller. 
It was the Giant story. 

Why did you like it?
Because he kept saying the story over and over again and it was very long.

Is there anything you didn't like about this book?
I didn't like the part when the Hen kept interrupting the story wondering where her part was. She wasn't very patient. 

Do you like the illustrations?
Yes. I do. I like the pictures because I think he drew the Hen very nice.

Who do you think will like this book?
Everyone, who likes fairy-tales.

Cutie Pie's Rating:

My Thoughts:

This is one of those books that I read when I was a kid. I remember my Mom reading it to my brother and me. So I was happy to read this book to my daughter.

It is a funny book. As I was reading it, I remembered all the parts that my brother and I would run around quoting over and over again. I even remembered The Giant's story. (Our favorite part.)

My daughter did point out (more than once) the word "stupid" and how it is not a nice word. I basically told her that in this case it meant that the stories were silly. "Stupid" is only in the title and in the book a couple of times, so I don't have a problem with it. And we discussed how it is not nice to call someone stupid.

But overall, this book was a big hit with her. She laughed a lot and enjoyed the different stories, most that she has heard the actual story for like Goldilocks and the Three Bears and Little Red Riding Hood.

I find the illustrations to be interesting and unique. I haven't seen many illustrations quite like them.

I would recommend reading this book with older children. I don't think my 3 year old appreciated (or really cared) about the book that much since she didn't understand the funny parts. So older elementary school kids may find it funny.

My Rating: