The Stinky Cheese Man and Other Fairly Stupid Tales

By Jon Scieszka, Lane Smith (Illustrator)

Classic fairy tales get hilariously twisted in this playful collection.

5.3/7 Bookroo experts·4.2/5 Goodreads · 96,343 ratings

52 pages· 2,291 words· Est. 18 min read-aloud

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Bookroo's summary

Dive into a world where fairy tales are turned upside down! Meet characters like The Stinky Cheese Man and Cinderummpelstiltskin in this collection of Fairly Stupid Tales. With bizarre illustrations and unexpected twists, these stories break the fourth wall and poke fun at the classics. Will the Ugly Duckling ever become a swan? Can a princess find happiness with a bowling ball? Each tale offers a fresh, comedic take on the familiar, inviting readers to laugh and question what they know about these timeless stories.

From the publisher

Madcap revisions of familiar fairy tales.

Awards

The New York Times/New York Public Library Best Illustrated Children’s Books Award (1992)Caldecott Honor (1993)

At a glance

Format
Pages: 52
Words: 2,291
Reading age: 3–7
Audience: Picture
Lexile: 520L

Themes & topics

Books about America Books about cheese Books about parodies Books about humor

What readers & critics say

Reviews

5.3

out of 7

5.5

“I remember loving these short parodies of classic fairy tale stories—a stinky cheese man in place of a gingerbread man or chicken licken instead of chicken little. The book is full of character and humor, like the table of contents falling all over the place, the interaction between the story characters and Jack (the narrator), and Jack's endless, repetitive story to escape the giant, and the interruptions from the little red hen.”

B is for Bookworm

Trusted reviewer

For readers who can't stop at one