Stinky Cheese Man: A Fairly Stupid (Hilarious) Tale

The Stinky Cheese Man and Other Fairly Stupid Tales by Jon Scieszka and illustrated by Lane Smith

Why did I read it?

We purchased a new copy of this book (I say new because I know that we had one before, so we must have replaced it), and I couldn't help but read it, and then I couldn't help but laugh hilariously.

What happened?

This is a book that is making fun of books in general and fairy tales specifically, and that is just funny. The back cover of the book features a chicken making fun of the fact that there is an ISBN number. The dedication page is being held upside down by an elf who comments that no one reads the dedication pages anyway.

Then you get to the actual stories. Instead of being Fairy Tales, they are Fairly Stupid Tales. So Goldilocks goes into the home of three elephants instead of three bears, and can't come close to using any of their stuff because it is sssooo big!

Instead of Little Red Riding Hood, the story is Little Red Riding Shorts. Instead of The Ugly Duckling, its The Really Ugly Duckling, and then the topper is the combined story of Cinderumpelstiltskin.

What did I like or not like?

I've read The True Story of the Three Little Pigs by Scieszka before, and this one is just as funny. Scieszka has a great way of staying true to the story while turning everything on its head.

The added elements of some of the characters knowing they are in a book adds another angle of hilariousness to it.

Smith, the illustrator, has a cooky style that fits right along with Scieszka's crazy stories!

Another reason I liked it is because it is short, so you can enjoy the stories without having to put too much time into it hehe.

Just Lasso the Nearest Tree

Rapunzel's Revenge by Shannon and Dean Hale, and illustrated by Nathan Hale.

What happened?
Rapunzel has always been curious about life outside her walled castle, where she lives with her mother Gothel. So on her twelfth birthday, she sneaks out for a look. Turns out that Gothel kidnapped her from her birth parents because they stole some measly leaves, and Gothel is also a sorceress wrecking the farming of anyone who doesn't pay her taxes.

Confronting her "mother" with this, Rapunzel is quickly thrown into a lonely tower. For four years Rapunzel can only wonder if she will ever get out, until her hair grows long enough to lasso around the nearest tree. Having escaped from the tower, Rapunzel vows to find her real mom, and hopefully take Gothel down in the process.

What did I like or not like?

The Wild West setting was a visually interesting place to tell the story, and having Rapunzel's hair work like twenty feet of rope (or whips depending on the situation) was also a fun idea. Adding some action to this story, Rapunzel and her partner, Jack, fight off bandits, giant sea serpants, and eventually take the fight to Gothel herself. Along the way, Rapunzel deals with selfishness, doing what's right, and sticking up for the little guy. This graphic novel had plenty of the elements of the classic tale, but told them with an interesting new twist.