Book Review: The Stinky Cheese Man and Other Fairly Stupid Tales by Jon Scieszka

Stars: 5 out of 5

Pros: Twisted and therefore funny fairy tales for kids

Cons: Not everyone will get the humor here

The Bottom Line: 

There's a laugh a page

As you see fairy tales like

Never seen before

Fractured Fairy Tales?  That Doesn't Begin to Cover It

I was browsing through the picture books at my local library last night, and The Stinky Cheese Man and Other Fairly Stupid Tales caught my eye.  I snagged it and came home with it, the only recommendation being it was by Jon Scieszka.  As I was reading it, I couldn't stop laughing.

This book is a collection of twisted fairy tales.  We've got "Chicken Licken," who is convinced the sky is falling - only it's not the sky.  We learn what was really happening behind the scenes with the "Princess and the Pea" and how the prince overcame it.  "Little Red Running Shorts" tells an interesting story about the importance of running.  "The Tortoise and the Hair" introduces us to the stupidest contest of all time.  Plus our narrator Jack gets into more trouble with his Giant, the Little Red Hen wanders through the book, and the title story creates quite a stink.

This book is probably best for ages 4 or 5 and up.  For one thing, some of the pages have a lot of text on them, so they need the added attention span.  For another, they need some familiarity with the original fairy tales to get the jokes and twists thrown in here.  And yes, even though I so think some of the stories are twisted, I don't think it's anything inappropriate for the target age range.

However, I don't think this is a book for beginning readers.  Some of the language and words are beyond what they can read.  This makes a wonderful read aloud book.

Overall, there are roughly 10 stories here (depending on how you count, you might get more or less).  A few stories only take up one page of text and one illustration, while the longer go for eight pages or so.  Overall, the book is roughly 50 pages, so it won't be a fast read, but then again neither of some other picture book classics.

I will warn you that a couple of them are truly pointless.  But even then, I can't help but laugh at the way the story is told.  And speaking of which, Jack manages to mangle a story or two along the way, which causes even more fun and laughs.

Lane Smith provided the illustrations.  They are modern, stylized, and harkening back to classic fairy tale book illustrations all at the same time.  They fit the tone of the book perfectly and really add to the humor of the piece.

I can definitely see how this book would be an acquired taste.  If the title doesn't at least make you smile, you probably won't get the contents either.  But if the title makes you smile or laugh, you'll enjoy a journey through The Stinky Cheese Man and Other Fairly Stupid Tales.