Module 6: The Stinky Cheese Man and Other Fairly Stupid Tales

Bibliography:

     Scieszka, J. (1992). The stinky cheese man and other fairly stupid tales. New York, NY: VikingBooks.

Book Summary:

This fabulous book revisits many traditional fairy tales, but gives them an interesting new twist. These "fairy stupid tales" are hilarious re-tellings including "The Stinky Cheese Man," "Chicken Licken," and "The Really Ugly Duckling." The book is narrated by Jack (of beanstalk fame) who makes starts making jokes beginning with the title page. Each story has new comedic characters, and the Red Hen occasionally stops in to give her two cents worth. Overall, this books is a great read for anyone who wonders how fairy tales REALLY happened.

My Thoughts:

I thoroughly enjoyed this book, especially the little side jokes that I think were meant more for adults than children. It's hard to pick a favorite retelling, because each and every one of them is hilarious, and puts a new twist on an old classic. I think that this book would be a great way to get boys to read fairy tales, because they are a little more gross and twisted than the traditional versions.

 

Professional Reviews:

*Grade-school irreverence abounds in this compendium of (extremely brief) fractured fairy tales, which might well be subtitled ``All Things Gross and Giddy.'' With a relentless application of the sarcasm that tickled readers of The True Story of the Three Little Pigs , Scieszka and Smith skewer a host of juvenile favorites: Little Red Running Shorts beats the wolf to grandmother's house; the Really Ugly Duckling matures into a Really Ugly Duck; Cinderumpelstiltskin is ``a girl who really blew it.'' Text and art work together for maximum comic impact--varying styles and sizes of type add to the illustrations' chaos, as when Chicken Licken discovers that the Table of Contents, and not the sky, is falling. Smith's art, in fact, expands upon his previous waggery to include increased interplay between characters, and even more of his intricate detail work. The collaborators' hijinks are evident in every aspect of the book, from endpapers to copyright notice. However, the zaniness and deadpan delivery that have distinguished their previous work may strike some as overdone here. This book's tone is often frenzied; its rather specialized humor, delivered with the rapid-fire pacing of a string of one-liners, at times seems almost mean-spirited. Ages 5-up

(1992, September 28). [Review of the book The stinky cheese man and other fairly stupid tales by Jon Scieszka]. Publisher's Weekly. Retrieved from http://www.publishersweekly.com/978-0-670-84487-6

*Whatever Jon Scieszka and Lane Smith coproduce usually spells a raucous time for everyone, and this book's no different. It's a continuation of the fairy tale fracturing the pair undertook in The True Story of the Three Little Pigs {BRD 1990}, going that story nine better. . . . The Stinky Cheese Man isn't a book for little ones. It will take older children . . . to follow the disordered story lines and appreciate the narrative's dry wit, wordplay, and wacky, sophomoric jokes. . . . Every part of the book bears the loving, goofy stamp of its creators, and while their humor won't appeal to everyone, their endeavors will still attract a hefty following of readers—from 9 to 99.

Zvirin, S. (1992).[Review of the book The stinky cheese man and other fairly stupid tales by Jon Scieszka]. Booklist, 8956.

Suggested Activities:

I think that the perfect activity for this book would be to have the children write their own versions of classic fairy tales, complete with illustrations. The stories would then be collected and bound and kept for everyone to read! Or, I could turn it into an ebook. 

Image Source:
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/4/45/The_Stinky_Cheese_Man_Book_Cover.jpg/200px-The_Stinky_Cheese_Man_Book_Cover.jpg