The Stinky Cheese Man and Other Fairly Stupid Tales is a hilarious collection of stories that are a bit familiar, but with darker twists. These tales have wonderfully odd illustrations and they are organized in such an unconventional but fun way.

Since this one was such a memorable book from my childhood, I would love to recommend it to children today.

However… I will note that some of the names, content matter, and illustrations are quite odd and a bit violent and may be a bit too much for some. So just a note of caution there for more sensitive children. Parent’s you’ll see what I mean below.

The Stinky Cheese Man and Other Fairly Stupid Tales by Jon Scieszka, Illustrated by Lane Smith
Just seeing the cover of this one on the internet randomly one day reminded me of my childhood! So of course I immediately requested it from my local library.

When my hold was ready, I brought it home and sat down to read it. As I opened up to the first page, I laughed out loud! I had totally forgotten the obnoxious hen and how she started squawking about her tale right on the end paper. Next up was the dedication page, which also made me chuckle. Then there was a quick introduction, which also made me laugh. Oh, this was going to be a fun ride! And then we were off and running with the “Fairly Stupid Tales!”

I remembered many of the tales so clearly, but I had totally forgotten a few!

As an adult reader, I realized that a lot of the humor in this one had been lost on me as a kid. I remember laughing at the illustrations the most back in the day, even though they are certainly odd. This time around, I was laughing at the absurdity of the tales, how often the fourth wall was broken, and the abrupt endings. This type of humor was such a hit for me!

I had mentioned it above, but I will say it again- the overall organization of this book is so clever! Not only are elements of the book scattered around, but the typography is also very cleverly organized! Everything was so well thought out and wonderfully done!

Here are some notes about each story, which range from short thoughts to summaries of the tales.

Chicken Licken
In this tale, something falls out of the sky and sets Chicken Licken off in a frenzy. In her panicked state, Chicken Licken runs into Ducky Lucky, Goosey Loosey, and Cocky Locky, who each join her in her quest to tell the president that the sky is falling.

Jack the Narrator pops back into the tale to announce that he forgot the Table of Contents, but the crew ignores his.

Chicken Licken, Ducky Lucky, Goosey Loosey, and Cocky Locky then run into Foxy Loxy who says that they should follow him because he has a shortcut… but before they are tricked by the fox, the Table of Contents drops in and squashes everyone.

The Princess and the Bowling Ball
This tale is based on The Princess and the Pea, but in this story, the Prince meets the girl of his dreams. Knowing the test that his parents have put other girls though, the Prince sneaks in and puts a bowling ball under the stack of one hundred mattresses…

The Really Ugly Duckling
This poor duck!

The Other Frog Prince
What would the result of The Princess and the Frog have been if the Frog has been lying about the curse? You’ll find out in this tale! The ending of this one made me laugh so hard!

Little Red Running Shorts
In this tale, Jack the Narrator is back. But in his excitement about finally having things run smoothly, he summarizes the tale, much to the dismay of the two main characters who end up walking off the page.

Jack’s Bean Problem, Giant Story, and Jack’s Story
In this tale that has three parts, we begin with our narrator, Jack, who is excited that he finally gets to share his story! Or so he thought… But the giant has other plans. The Giant dives in with his own story, that doesn’t impress Jack. When Jack comments, the Giant grabs him and pulls him onto the next page where a very clever story begins!

The typography in these tales is lovely and so creative!

Cinderumpelstiltskin or the Girl Who Really Blew It
My favorite part of this one was that in the illustration, we get a glimpse of what was happening on the last page!

The Tortoise and the Hair
I didn’t like this one much as a kid. The same holds true as an adult.

The Stinky Cheese Man
This tale spans quite a few pages. It’s such a funny one and my goodness, the illustrations are too funny!

And then we reach the end where that hen makes yet another appearance, trying to tell her tale. However, the Giant has other plans… The last page is SO CREEPY! The Giant himself is scary enough, but Jack’s evil smile is even more sinister!

This was such a fun re-read as an adult! While I really enjoyed the oddity and the darkness, I’m not sure I would get this one for my future kiddos until they are a bit older.