The Stinky Cheese Man and Other Fairly Stupid Tales

Possibly the best book ever. So funny and sassy, great for breaking up the same old boring storylines with great design and clever writing.

GREAT! What other word can possibly come to mind reading The Stinky Cheese Man? I originally bought this book for my niece and nephew, Kayla and Greg. But before I gave it to them I read it myself and I simply could not stop laughing. The best way to describe this to parents and adults is: it's a combination of Rocky and Bullwinkle (working on two humor levels), Mad Magazine, Mother Goose, and absolute literary anarchy. If you're an adult and have any sense of humor whatsoever you're going to laugh out loud. The best way to describe this to parents is to quote Greg, 10, who, upon being told he'd get this book said: "GREAT! It has those funny stories and those crazy drawings. I love it!!" How did author Jon Scieszka and illustrator hit on a book that truly appeals to ALL ages? The book is a parody, moving visually and in its text as fast as a guided missle, but never for one millisecond underestimating the intelligence of its kid -- or adult -- readership. My Special 10 Year Anniversary Edition of this book contained a "Long Lost Stupid Fairy Tale" printed under the cover, the Boy Who Cried Cow Patty, a take off of the boy who cried "Wolf." (There is a less kid friendly version of this great story circulating on the internet). Once you open the book (and I will not give it all away) you are immediately comedically clobbered with the Little Red Hen, who can't wait until the title page is seen to start her story and is upset with the management. Fonts, page layout, are all satirized or exploited for maximum laughs. Any kid who has ever had a fairy tale read to him/her and looked at a typical fairy tale book will get the visual joke immediately. So this book is not only a book they can read but a book that will make them WANT to read MORE...and see that reading can truly be FUN. But it's the screamingly funny text and outrageously zany illustrations that have made this book a (well-deserved) legend. Even though it contains the alleged Surgeon General's stamp-disclaimer warning that it "has been determined that these tales are fairly stupid and probably dangerous to your health" these nutty stories are anything but dangerous. The bottom line is that they're comedy-parodies that make all ages think, but don't require a degree to get the joke. The book succeeds from its bonus tale printed under its book cover to its final silly page. Tales include Chicken Licken with its great ending (comedy coach Greg Dean writes that comedy is a "shattered assumption" and that's what we get here and it's FUN); The Princess and the Bowling Ball (take off on the Princess and the Pea); The Really Ugly Duckling (probably a truer version of this tale than has ever appeared before); the Other Frog Prince (the frog wants a kiss...but what is he??); Little Red Running Shorts; Jack's Bean Problem, Cinderumpelstiltskin; the Tortoise and the Hair; and the absolute all time classic The Stinky Cheese Man, a superb satire of the Gingerbread man with a laugh-out-loud ending. This book SHOULD be titled "The Stinkey Cheese Man and Other Absolutely Hilarious Witty Tales." If you like satire/parody and want your kids (or you) to read an upscale Mad-type take off on fairy tales, this book is for YEW! Now my only problem is: where can I HIDE this book after the kids read it, so I can keep it for myself???

I’m going to admit—-I hated this book the first time I read it. But the week following our initial reading my 5 year old daughter couldn’t stop talking about and making silly references to the stories (which really seemed to crack her up). So I started to think that maybe it wasn’t so bad, and looking back on it, some of the stories kind of amused me. Of course she asked me to read it to her again, and while I reluctantly caved, I found myself enjoying it much more the second time around, kind of knowing what to expect. The best thing about this book is that the stories inside of it are almost all based on stories your child will have encountered already at one time or another, and now that they’re old enough to have read those, they’ll appreciate the parodies they encounter herein. Another thing about this book is that it grows on you. Certain stories will become favorites or strike their own chords on certain nights depending on the mood, and you might even find yourself mulling over a joke or two from one of the stories the following day as you go about your business. It’s a silly book that for whatever reason becomes more endearing each time you read it. We’ve read it probably 20 times now and our new favorite story is the one I initially despised the most—the never-ending, Ground Hog’s Day-like loop that is the tale of Jack and the Beanstalk. If you ever find yourself willingly reading it down to the .0008 point font squeezed in at the very bottom of the page then you can be certain this book has grown on you too! Anyway, keep in mind this book is silly, and you and your kid will probably love it. The stories are funny and fast moving and the pictures are quirky and engaging.

We’ve had so much fun with this hilarious rendition of The Gingerbread Man. Some twenty years ago, when I was a child, the classic The Stinky Cheese Man book was coveted by us elementary-schoolers. It was your lucky day to find it restocked on the shelf so that you may have your turn to borrow it. Giggles are abundant and laughter roars as I read this to my children. The pictures are cosmically entertaining for my six-year-old. The variation in fonts and writing style is interesting and unique. Some words are falling off the page, and some are upside down. A miracle, there is no fight when I ask my son to alternate lines with me. The words are on-par with his reading level and do the work of strengthening his recall of relevant digraphs. They are in abundance, and I appreciate the repetition. The book is sturdy and firm. I’m so glad to see they are still printing this book, and for such a good price.

I got this book for my daughter when she was little had to get it for my nephew’s daughter for Christmas last year it’s funny every kid should have it

My daughter loved this book and now so does my granddaughter.

First off, what kind of fun-hating monster rates this book one star? Reading comprehension people. If you don't like stupid humour, why on earth would you purchase this? It tells you up front, in the title, that the stories are stupid. You don't buy tickets to a movie expecting to watch a basketball game. But! FANS OF THE ABSURD, REJOICE! For here we have a tome of award-winning stupidity with illustrations to match. I first came into contact with this book when I was 16 in a math class. A classmate brought it to show to our teacher. The teacher loved it so much he made us stop doing work so he could read it aloud to us. One student laughed so hard she gave herself hiccoughs. LITERALLY. Such is the power of these Fairly Stupid Tales. Those of us who witnessed the reading went on to spread the word and the teacher went on to read the book to subsequent classes. It was not unusual to hear "Who will help me spell 'the wheat'?" or "What is that funky smell?" in the hallways. Soon, I was reliving Jack's Bean Problem for the entertainment of others. It was the best of times, it was the stupidest of times. Anywho, this book is really great for the eight and up crowd, as they are more developmentally capable of processing parody. But if your younger kids enjoy the Lego movies, they will probably enjoy The Stinky Cheese Man. Have a Spongebob fan? Get that kid a copy of the Stinky Cheese Man! This makes a great stick-extractor for that angsty teenager in your life. Just tell your brooder that this is a treatise on existentialism as interpreted by cubist chickens. If the book doesn't get a laugh, then you can at least find entertainment in their indignance.

I loved this book growing up & read it to my son. I lost my original copy when we moved, but wanted to give a copy to my son for graduation instead of the standard book most people give. The stories are a funny take on classics great for sarcastic & slightly pessimistic families like ours

A collection of popular fairy tales retold but in a twisted and funny way. So unless you know those fairy tales you wont understand the humor in it. But those are very popular ones, so it's likely that your kid knows the original stories. Recommended for 8+.

I bought this for our 3yo daughter for a bedtime story because she loves anything stinky or fart related (lol) and I remembered this book from my own childhood. She absolutely loves it and it has become the new champion book, having dethroned 'The Tiger Who Came To Tea'. As an adult some of the tales are a little bizarre, but the kid seems to enjoy them so who am I to judge? I would recommend for anyone with a strange sense of humour - a great little compilation of stories for quirky folk.

Excellent book for those seeking something out of the norm & can turn text into expressive imaginary scenes with your voice

Read this book when I was a kid, now that I have a child I will read this book to them. It's so weird and really funny, I recommend it to those parents with a dark sense of humor

Lo adquirí por recomendación de un amigo quien tuvo acceso a él hace muchos años y quedó prendado de lo gracioso de las historias y del arte del libro. Excelente para niños y personas que se inician a leer en inglés.