The Stinky Cheese Man and Other Fairly Stupid Tales

 Review

Common Sense Media says

A farcical re-working of 10 familiar fairy tales.
greenON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age.
yellowPAUSE: Know your child; some content
may not be right for some kids.
redOFF: Not age-appropriate for kids this age.
not for kidsNOT FOR KIDS: Not appropriate for kids any age.

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Quality
 
Sometimes media can be age appropriate but a real waste of time. Our star rating assesses the media's overall quality.

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Parents say

Not yet rated

Kids say

What parents need to know

Parents need to know that there's no real story here, just pure silly entertainment. The gags are fun, and the artwork is wacky. A good giggle for kids and adults alike.

  • Some characters engage in sarcasm and name-calling. Jack plugs his ears and refuses to listen to Little Red Hen's pleas for help.
  • Mild and of the cartoony kind.
  • Not applicable.

What's the story?

What's going on? The Gingerbread Man is now the Stinky Cheese Man and no one wants to chase him. Cinderella and Rumpelstiltskin star in the same story. The Ugly Duckling grows up and turns into a really ugly duck. A funny, farcical re-working of ten familiar fairy tales where even the typeface joins in on the mayhem.


Is it any good?

 

A wild, irreverent, and extremely funny book -- for the right audience. Don't let the fairy-tale spin fool you; younger children may be confused about the strange twists to these well-known tales and by the offbeat illustrations. But for grades two to six, this book is like recess in the middle of a spelling test. These children will love the unusual layout, and the way the book pokes fun at classic stories and characters. The author and illustrator intentionally draw attention to book design with: a title page titled "The Title Page;" an upside-down dedication page; and an introduction that includes a Surgeon General's warning. Intermediate to advanced readers will get a kick out of the challenging dialogue and varying shapes and sizes of typeface.

As a read-aloud, it's fun for the whole family. When read to a group of kids and adults aged 5 to 35, the reaction was all giggles. The entire group -- particularly the older ones -- had fun recalling the original fairy tale and comparing it to the new version.


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What families can talk about

Families can talk about how these wacky reinterpretations stack up against the original stories. Which do you like better? Why?


This review was written by Mary LeCompte
Kid, 12 years old
February 14, 2011
 
AWESOME POSOM!
My new fave book!

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Teen, 18 years old
February 9, 2009
 
Wonderful Book!
I know I'm a little old for this book, but it was quite funny & I loved the pictures. Unique & beautiful. When I was little I loved this book! I really recommend this to any kid.

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Teen, 14 years old
July 14, 2011
 
Great book!
This book is hilarious! I love Jack and all the other characters.

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Kid, 13 years old
April 23, 2010
 
i love this book
funny i laughed a whole bunch

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Teen, 17 years old
April 9, 2008
 

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This review was written by Mary LeCompte
Author:Jon Scieszka
Illustrator:Lane Smith
Book type:Fiction
Genre:Fairy Tale
Publisher:Penguin Group
Publication date:January 1, 1992
Number of pages:56
Hardcover price:$16.99
Publisher's recommended age(s):9 - 12

This review was written by Mary LeCompte
 

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About our rating system
ON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age.
PAUSE: Know your child; some content may not be right for some kids.
OFF: Not age-appropriate for kids this age.
Learning ratings
BEST: Really engaging, great learning approach.
GOOD: Pretty engaging, good learning approach.
FAIR: Somewhat engaging, OK learning approach.
NOT FOR LEARNING: Not recommended for learning.

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