Absolutely hilarious. I remember my dad and I reading this book repeatedly. We both loved it. New fairy tales, and new takes on old fairy tales, this book is hilarious. The illustrations are unique and really bring out the quirkiness of this book. It's quite obvious why it won the Caldecott: you can't not like it! ( )

The hen starts to tell her story too early - on the endpage before the title is even announced! How funny. The first 'fairly stupid' tale is of Chicken Little, er Licken, who of course, thinks its the sky thats falling....but the story is interrupted because Jack the Narrator forgot the table of contents. Wait, actually, the table of contents is the thing falling....and it falls on everybody. Then the book has to start all over again! Scieszka and Smith had me laughing out loud with their renditions of the Princess & the Pea (bowling ball), The (Really) Ugly Duckling, The (Other) Frog Prince, Little Red Running Shorts (which Jack the narrator messes up), Jack's Bean Problem (the giant messes that one up), Jack's story (not sure who ruined that neverending one, but Jack definitely gets the short end of the stick), and on and on. I just recently read the kids at school the gingerbread man, so I greatly enjoyed reading 'The Stinky Cheese Man". At the end of the book, the red hen comes back and wakes up the giant. When she challenges everyone to eat her bread, she gets another thing coming....THE END.

Fantasy
Art: illustrations rendered in oil and vinegar ( )

The Stinky Cheese Man and Other Fairly Stupid Tales follows the grand tradition of children's writing of pervasive metahumor. Like Animaniacs and other shows, The Stinky Cheese Man manages to become as enjoyable read for adults as it is for the children they're reading to. Slapstick humor and explosive artwork will grab the children's attention, while subtle jabs at culture and the nostalgia of slightly twisted fairy tales will have the adults laughing along with the kids. The metahumor goes so far as to make the book self aware, with characters interrupting the front matter, the table of contents confirming Chicken Licken's doomspeak. This is a great book for the whole family. ( )

Booklist starred (Vol. 89, No. 1 (September 1, 1992))
Horn Book starred (Fall, 2002)
Kirkus Review starred (1992)
All the above reviews can be read on Title Wave: http://www.flr.follett.com/search?SID...

the stinky cheese man and other fairly stupid tales is one of my all time favorite childrens books! ive been reading this book since i was in elementary school. it is a collection of fairy tales told in stupid ways, and even some that are completely off base from the original. for example, the little red hen just pops out every once in while griping that its taking too long to tell her story. jack, form jack and the beanstalk, is the narrartor throughout the book, he is shown to be the producer of the whole mess, and lets the reader in as if the reader is his partner in crime. it is a very funny book, and often, i like these versions of the stories better anyway. this book could definately be used in alot of ways because its really so open, a teacher could use it to open up a fairy tale lesson, or even just bounce through the book and tell the stories that would apply to the situation. also, this book would be a good example how good books can be written very silly. ( )

This story requires a familiarity with fairytales as it spoofs a few of them, such as The Little Red Hen, Rumpelstilskin, and The Ugly Duckling. I found the storyline too much on the sarcastic side for me and somewhat of a "loud" style of writing. I enjoyed the illiustrations and how they display the story more than the words. Some story parts seem framented to read as the font changed abruptly to illustrate the action in the story. Overall, this story is clever.

Awards:
Caledecott Honor Book ( )

Yeah, the title really says it all: fairly stupid. Not only that, but purposely repulsive visually with its cut-and-paste illustration style and ransom-note, pied-typecase layout and typography, and unbearably twee with all the post-modernist nudging and winking to make sure we get the deconstructionist concept. (Eric Idle has nothing on Scieszka when it comes to "nudge nudge, wink wink.") Left to my own devices, I'd tear out the pages one by one and WRAP THINGS IN THEM. That's all I think it's good for—fish-wrap. ( )

This is a collection of tales from Jack. You know? Jack and the beanstalk. We repeatedly run into a hen who doesn't have a page for her story, Chicken Licken, a princess who now had back problems, the really ugly duckling, the other frog prince, little red running shorts, Jack and his 'giant' problem, Cinderumpelstiltskin, the tortoise and the hair, and the stinky cheese man. These funny characters all are almost like their fairytale counterparts. Almost.

I have loved this book forever. I love the way the words do not align exactly in the same place every page. The font size changes. Some pages are blank. The layout is great. I love all the different points-of-view, especially Jack. It's a great parody of some classic fairytales.

I think if I ever read this is a class, I would make sure to read the true versions of each fairytale first. Afterwards, we could venn diagram the parodies and the stinky cheese man book. We also could write our own parody of a story not in the book. Like Pocahontas or Sleeping Beauty.

This anthology is best enjoyed by older children who can appreciate irony. ( )

Hilarious and lovable, there is never a dull moment in this book, and you will not regret reading it. ( )

“The Stinky Cheese Man and other Fairly Stupid Tales” is one of the few books that contain so much humor. The humor is sarcastic as it is witty and the humor gives each character in the story a very unique personality that makes the reader want to be like them. Jon Scieszka’s storytelling is probably the book’s major strong point as he fills the book with witty humor such as, the Little Red Hen continuously popping up as an interlude to the other stories and the giant trying to make his own story by sticking together an odd assortment of pictures and words together. Lane Smith’s illustrations are fantastic and humorous, especially of the image of the wolf and Little Red Running Shorts leaving the story as it seems that they were cut out of the image of the house and the woods leaving two white spaces in the image.

“The Stinky Cheese Man” is a pure classic that will make people laugh for many years. Its good sense of humor and creative drawings by the dynamic duo, Jon Scieszka and Lane Smith has made this book an international success. I would highly recommend this book to anyone interested in good humor and creativity from the Scieszka/Smith duo. ( )

Includes: CHICKEN LICKEN THE PRINCESS AND THE BOWLING BALL THE REALLY UGLY DUCKLING THE OTHER FROG PRINCE LITTLE RED RUNNING SHORTS JACK'S BEAN PROBLEM CINDERRUMPELSTILTSKIN THE TORTOISE AND THE HAIR THE STINKY CHEESE MAN THE BOY WHO CRIED "COW PATTY"

Students really love this book. It is a great read-a-loud. ( )

A funny and irreverent take on classic fairy tales. ( )

A very funny 'fairy tale' book that throws it's own twist on old tales. Definitely not your ordinary children's book, but any kid would crack up laughing so hard reading it. ( )

This is not a good toddler book, I will say that right now. Too much writing, long sentences, and over-their-heads moments, and not enough pictures. It is perfect for older readers, though. The humor is often blunt and sure to get a laugh out of your child. They will easily recognize old classic fairy tales with a new funny, sarcastic twist.

Another point against reading it for younger children: the art. Lane Smith seems to have been inspired by Picasso or possibly Salvador Dali. The characters are draw asymmetrically and often very distorted. The color palate is dark and the pictures are somewhat grainy or "dirty". I can see they were going for a complete disconnect with the traditional sun-shining-happy-ending-blue-skies fairy tale illustration, and again for older kids, no problem. I recommend this book for older children who can grasp the parodies and not be bothered by the darker art style. ( )

Silly and fun!! You'll have to read to find out! ( )

This is possibly my all-time favorite picture book. I was first introduced to it when my third grade teacher read parts of it aloud as a treat for the class. I thought it was the greatest thing ever back then. I still do!

The appeal in the book is the reworking of well-known fairy tales and the comic interruptions by other characters. (Seriously, is the hen the funniest thing ever or what?) I think this book is probably one of the greatest influences on my sense of humor, and I can see how my enjoyment of The Stinky Cheese Man has turned into a love for Discworld and John Hodgman.

(My favorite joke ever when I was eight years old was the screaming by the hen on the back cover with regards to the ISBN code. It still makes me laugh, seventeen years later!)

Oh, also, because I almost forgot: this book is fantastic as an example of how with picture books, the experience starts with the cover and goes through every page to the back. I could easily see this being used in a university level literary theory course to show how paratextual information can be part of and change a reading.

PS: The illustrations are pretty snazzy, too. ( )

From the table of contents falling from the sky to Little Red Running Shorts (a spin on Little Red Riding Hood), Jack the narrator takes you on a journey of fairly stupid tales. The stories are comical spins on traditional fantasy tales. An element of the book consists of a page left blank. This is an attempt by narrator Jack to allow the giant to continue is nap and ultimately trying to avoid being part of his afternoon snack.

I enjoyed the interruptions of the hen and Jack, the narrator's rants about his need for book organization, but showing us (the readers) everything but an organized book. It turned into comedy. If a book starts out with the table of contents falling from the sky and reveals the true life of a very ugly duckling, not much more could be expected, but other fairly stupid tales.

In the classroom, I would give the students string cheese as a teaser to produce anticipation for the Stinky Cheese Man story. I would use this opportunity for a creative writing exercise by instructing the students to create his/her own fairly stupid tale. ( )

I put this book as a picture book because it won't the Caldecott Award; however, it could also be in the fairytale section. It takes multiple takes and weaves them together. Kids really love this book. It's a great opening to a fairytale unit or to do some comparisons between original fairytales and those in this book.

Fairytales retold. This is a great creative book retelling all the stories you could remember as a child. The stories are silly and tend to even make fun of the ones you know. The Ugly Duckling who actually grows up to become and ugly duck. A silly book full of fun retold rhymes. Another Caldecott winner! ( )

Goofy play with tales

and mixed-up book arts. Stinky

Cheese Man? Laugh out loud!

This is a collection of fractured fairytales. The characters should be familiar to just about anyone, expect maybe the Stinky Cheese man who is just another version of the Gingerbread man. It is the messed up plots and the crazy endings which make this book interesting. None of these fairytales end in the traditional ways or the characters are seen in a different light. In some cases the stories just seem to drop right off the page. The author uses the illustrations to help convey the sense of a fractured fairy tale. The art is mostly done with cutouts seemingly from newspapers and magazines. Text placement and size is used to help tell the story, like the giant sized words for Jack and the Beanstalk. Overall it is an interesting book for older elementary children. Any younger than 1st or 2nd grade, the humor might be lost on. ( )

This is a twist on all of the traditional tales of chicken little and Cinderella and so many others. THe narrator Jack gets off to bed start by forgetting the table of contents, putting the dedication upside down and so many other problems. And he's constantly being interrupted by the Little Red Hen who just wants to tell her. Read this for a little amusement, but don't miss a word or you might get lost.

This is one of my favorite books to read. I have found that it is a little hard to read to a class and get all of the jokes across. It is always entertaining.

Classroom Extensions:
1) I would have students choose their favorite Fairy Tale and re-write it
2) As a class we would develop this book into a play ( )