Download high-resolution image Look inside
Listen to a clip from the audiobook
audio pause button
0:00
0:00

The Stinky Cheese Man

And Other Fairly Stupid Tales

Illustrated by Lane Smith
Look inside
Listen to a clip from the audiobook
audio pause button
0:00
0:00
A Caledecott Honor Book
A New York Times Best Illustrated Book

This award-winning picture book is a wild, irreverent collection of reimagined fairy tales from the author and illustrator of The True Story of the 3 Little Pigs!. Makes for an extremely fun and funny read-aloud for the whole family.

A long time ago, people used to tell magical stories of wonder and enchantment. Those stories were called Fairy Tales. Those stories are not in this book. The stories in this book are Fairly Stupid Tales.

In this fourth wall-breaking picture book, young readers will delight in the strange twists on familiar tales. From “The Stinky Cheese Man” to “Cinderummpelstiltskin” these unique, hilarious retellings poke fun at classic stories and characters. The wonderfully offbeat and bizarre illustrations, as well as innovative play with typography and book design, make for a one-of-kind masterpiece from two powerhouse children’s book creators.

Story List:

· Chicken Licken
· The Princess and the Bowling Ball
· The Really Ugly Duckling
· The Other Frog Prince
· Little Red Running Shorts
· Jack's Bean Problem (including Giant Story / Jack's Story)
· Cinderummpelstiltskin (Or The Girl Who Really Blew It)
· The Tortoise and the Hair
· The Stinky Cheese Man
Jon Scieszka is probably best known for his bestselling picture books including The True Story of the Three Little Pigs! and The Stinky Cheese Man. He is also the founder of www.guysread.com and a champion force behind www.guyslisten.com. He lives in Brooklyn with his wife and two children. View titles by Jon Scieszka
© Bob Shea
Lane Smith is a five-time recipient of the New York Times Best Illustrated Book award and a two-time Caldecott Honor recipient. In 2012 the Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art named him a Carle Artist for “lifelong innovation in the field of children’s picture books,” and in 2014 he was awarded the lifetime achievement award from the Society of Illustrators. He is the illustrator of many books, including The Stinky Cheese Man, and the author/illustrator of It’s a Book, Grandpa Green, and John, Paul, George & Ben, among others. He is married to book designer Molly Leach. View titles by Lane Smith
  • WINNER
    Caldecott Honor Book
  • WINNER
    Children's Book Award
  • WINNER
    New York Times Best Illustrated Book
* A Caldecott Honor Book
* An ABBY Honor Book
* Publishers Weekly Top Selling Kids Books of All Time List
* ALA Notable Children's Book
* New York Times Notable Book of the Year
* School Library Journal Best Books of the Year
* Booklist Editor's Choice


"The entire book, with its unconventional page arrangement and eclectic, frenetic mix of text and pictures, is a spoof on the art of book design and the art of the fairy tale." --Horn Book

"Irrepressibly zany and fun." --Kirkus Reviews, starred review
additional book photo
additional book photo
additional book photo
additional book photo
additional book photo

About

A Caledecott Honor Book
A New York Times Best Illustrated Book

This award-winning picture book is a wild, irreverent collection of reimagined fairy tales from the author and illustrator of The True Story of the 3 Little Pigs!. Makes for an extremely fun and funny read-aloud for the whole family.

A long time ago, people used to tell magical stories of wonder and enchantment. Those stories were called Fairy Tales. Those stories are not in this book. The stories in this book are Fairly Stupid Tales.

In this fourth wall-breaking picture book, young readers will delight in the strange twists on familiar tales. From “The Stinky Cheese Man” to “Cinderummpelstiltskin” these unique, hilarious retellings poke fun at classic stories and characters. The wonderfully offbeat and bizarre illustrations, as well as innovative play with typography and book design, make for a one-of-kind masterpiece from two powerhouse children’s book creators.

Story List:

· Chicken Licken
· The Princess and the Bowling Ball
· The Really Ugly Duckling
· The Other Frog Prince
· Little Red Running Shorts
· Jack's Bean Problem (including Giant Story / Jack's Story)
· Cinderummpelstiltskin (Or The Girl Who Really Blew It)
· The Tortoise and the Hair
· The Stinky Cheese Man

Author

Jon Scieszka is probably best known for his bestselling picture books including The True Story of the Three Little Pigs! and The Stinky Cheese Man. He is also the founder of www.guysread.com and a champion force behind www.guyslisten.com. He lives in Brooklyn with his wife and two children. View titles by Jon Scieszka
© Bob Shea
Lane Smith is a five-time recipient of the New York Times Best Illustrated Book award and a two-time Caldecott Honor recipient. In 2012 the Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art named him a Carle Artist for “lifelong innovation in the field of children’s picture books,” and in 2014 he was awarded the lifetime achievement award from the Society of Illustrators. He is the illustrator of many books, including The Stinky Cheese Man, and the author/illustrator of It’s a Book, Grandpa Green, and John, Paul, George & Ben, among others. He is married to book designer Molly Leach. View titles by Lane Smith

Awards

  • WINNER
    Caldecott Honor Book
  • WINNER
    Children's Book Award
  • WINNER
    New York Times Best Illustrated Book

Praise

* A Caldecott Honor Book
* An ABBY Honor Book
* Publishers Weekly Top Selling Kids Books of All Time List
* ALA Notable Children's Book
* New York Times Notable Book of the Year
* School Library Journal Best Books of the Year
* Booklist Editor's Choice


"The entire book, with its unconventional page arrangement and eclectic, frenetic mix of text and pictures, is a spoof on the art of book design and the art of the fairy tale." --Horn Book

"Irrepressibly zany and fun." --Kirkus Reviews, starred review

Photos

additional book photo
additional book photo
additional book photo
additional book photo
additional book photo

Reading with Purpose Summit Event

On Monday, June 10th, Penguin Random House Education and DK Learning co-hosted a Reading with Purpose Summit Event in collaboration with Molly Ness, PhD. The event took place at Penguin Random House’s NYC headquarters and included sessions featuring leading education experts and a lunchtime author panel. The in-person professional learning event was built to show

Read more

2024 Elementary School Collection

The Penguin Random House Education Elementary School Collection features outstanding fiction, nonfiction, and picture books from Penguin Young Reader’s, Random House Children’s, DK, and Grupo Editorial, as well as children’s publishers distributed by Penguin Random House. Explore online or download this valuable resource to discover great books in specific topic areas such as: Leveled Readers,

Read more

DK Learning Phonic Books Sampler Request

Thank you for your interest in DK Learning | Phonic Books. To download the DK Learning | Phonic Books sampler with four complete readers, please click here and complete the form. Once your information is successfully submitted, a link to download the sampler will be provided on the confirmation screen.   Click here to learn

Read more

PRH Education Translanguaging Collections

Translanguaging is a communicative practice of bilinguals and multilinguals, that is, it is a practice whereby bilinguals and multilinguals use their entire linguistic repertoire to communicate and make meaning (García, 2009; García, Ibarra Johnson, & Seltzer, 2017)   It is through that lens that we have partnered with teacher educators and bilingual education experts, Drs.

Read more