- The Stinky Cheese Man and Other Fairly Stupid Tales

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???

Underrated gem. Great artwork and humor.

Funniest book I have read as childrens book. Entertainment for both parents and kiddos

I love this book! I bought it originally back in the 90s at a scholastic book fair, and now I keep buying it to gift to my friends and family for their kids!

Great nostalgia book. Read this to my kids and this is becoming a fast favorite.

Love this book!

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

Funny, engaging, and good quality pages

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

I can’t believe I found this book after so many years 😭 This was one of my favourite books as a child and I’d never let it go according to my mother lol! But it brought back so many memories ❤️😭

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