130,000+ Books, Games & Puzzles in-stock 🇳🇿 

The Stinky Cheese Man and Other Fairly Stupid Tales

A Caldecott Honor Book
Book Hero Magic crafted this summary to help describe this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Summary
The Stinky Cheese Man and Other Fairly Stupid Tales is a wildly irreverent collection of reimagined fairy tales by Jon Scieszka. This Caldecott Honor-winning picture book features bizarre twists on familiar stories like "The Stinky Cheese Man," "Cinderummpelstiltskin," and more. The offbeat illustrations and playful typography break the fourth wall, creating a hilarious and unique reading experience that subverts classic fairy tale conventions.
Read More
Format: Hardback
$5700

International Supplier

This title is in-stock with overseas suppliers. While it is not available locally, we fly books in weekly from the US and UK to our Auckland warehouse for immediate dispatch.

AVAILABLE WITH SUPPLIER Ships from our Auckland warehouse within 2-3 weeks

Found a better price? Request a price match

Book Hero Magic created this recommendation. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! IS THIS YOUR NEXT READ?

Perfect for children and families seeking a fun, read-aloud twist on traditional fairy tales, this book engages young readers who enjoy humour, creativity, and playful storytelling.

Book Hero thinking about your next read

Looks at some really stupid tales including "Chicken Licken", "The Princess and the Bowling Ball", "The Really Ugly Duckling" and "Jack's Bean Problem".

Book Hero Magic formatted this description to make it easier to read. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Description

A Caldecott 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! It 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-a-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

Book Hero Magic summarised reviews for this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! HOW HAS THIS BEEN REVIEWED?

Acclaimed as a Caldecott Honor Book and an ALA Notable Children's Book, it has been praised for its inventive design and humour. Horn Book highlights its spoof of book design and fairy tales, while Kirkus Reviews calls it "irrepressibly zany and fun." It also features on the Publishers Weekly Top Selling Kids Books of All Time and New York Times Notable Book of the Year lists.

Book Hero reading reviews

Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9780670844876

Publisher: Penguin Books Ltd

Format: Hardback

Date Published: 01 October 1992

Country: United Kingdom

Imprint: Viking Children's Books

Contributors:

  • Illustrated by Lane Smith
  • Illustrated by Lane Smith

Audience: Children

DIMENSIONS

Spine width: 10.0mm

Width: 227.0mm

Height: 275.0mm

Weight: 496g

Pages: 56

About the Author

Multiple award-winning author Jon Scieszka grew up in Flint, Michigan, the second oldest and the nicest of six boys. Jon went to school at Culver Military Academy in Indiana where he was a Lieutenant; Albion College in Michigan where he studied to be a doctor; and Columbia University in New York, where he received an M.F.A. in fiction. He taught elementary school in New York for ten years in a variety of positions. He is the author of many books for children including theNew York TimesBest Illustrated BookThe Stinky Cheese Man and Other Fairly Stupid Tales(illustrated by Lane Smith), the Caldecott Honor bookThe True Story of the Three Little Pigs(illustrated by Lane Smith), andMath Curse(illustrated by Lane Smith). In addition to his work as an author, Jon also runs a web-based literacy program called "Guys Read" that is designed to encourage boys, particularly reluctant readers, to get involved with books. In 2008, Jon was named the country's first National Ambassador for Young People's Literature, a joint effort of the Library of Congress and the Children's Book Council. During his two-year role as Ambassador, he acted as a spokesperson for children's literature, speaking to groups of parents, teachers, and children to encourage the importance of reading. You can visit Jon online at www.jsworldwide.com.

Also by Jon Scieszka

View all
  • The Stinky Cheese Man and Other Fairly Stupid Tales
    Jon Scieszka introduces some really stupid off-the-wall fairy tales including Chicken Licken, The Princess and the Bowling Ball, The Really Ugly Duckling, and Jack's Bean Problem. Chosen by children as the Book of the Year for the Federation of Children's Book Groups, The Stinky Cheese Man and Other Fairly Stupid Tales was described by She magazine as, 'The most delightful...
    Paperback
    $1900
    Elsewhere:
    $2100
    Available
    Ships in 4-6 weeks
  • The True Story of the Three Little Pigs
    You thought you knew the story of The Three Little Pigs... You thought wrong. In this hysterical and clever fractured fairy tale picture book that twists point of view and perspective, young readers will finally hear the other side of the story of The Three Little Pigs. "In this humorous story, Alexander T. Wolf tells his own outlandish version of...
    Hardback
    $1799
    In Stock
    Ships today
  • Frank Einstein and the Bio-Action Gizmo (Frank Einstein Series #5)
    In the fifth book of the New York Times bestselling Frank Einstein series, Frank Einstein (kid genius, scientist, and inventor) and his best friend, Watson, pair up with Klink (a self-assembled artificial-intelligence entity) and Klank (a mostly self-assembled and artificial almost intelligence entity) to compete with T. Edison, their classmate and archrival. This time they're studying the science and mysteries...
    Hardback
    Sold Out
  • Frank Einstein and the Antimatter Motor
    I never thought science could be funny . . . until I read Frank Einstein. It will have kids laughing. - Jeff Kinney, Diary of a Wimpy Kid Huge laughs and great science - the kind of smart, funny stuff that makes Jon Scieszka a legend. - Mac Barnett, author of Battle Bunny and The Terrible Two Clever science experiments,...
    Paperback
    Sold Out
  • The Real Dada Mother Goose: A Treasury of Complete Nonsense
    The classic nursery rhymes we know and love—upside-down, backward, in gibberish, and fresh out of bounds—as only Jon Scieszka could stage themMother knows best, but sometimes a little nonsense wins the day. Inspired by Dadaism’s rejection of reason and rational thinking, and in cahoots with Blanche Fisher Wright’s The Real Mother Goose, this anthology of absurdity unravels the fabric of...
    Hardback
    Sold Out

More from Children's Books

View all
  • New Release
    Fight or Flight: Diary of a Wimpy Kid (21)
    When the going gets tough, what’s a wimpy kid to do? In Fight or Flight, Greg Heffley faces his biggest challenge yet as he becomes a target for the school bully. Luckily for Greg, his best friend, Rowley Jefferson, takes karate, so at least Greg’s got someone in his corner. But an unexpected twist makes Greg realize he’s facing an uphill...
    Paperback
    $1699
    Elsewhere:
    $2100
    In Stock
    Ships today
  • New Release
    Gruffalo Granny
    The brand new Gruffalo picture book from Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler. The Gruffalo said to his daughter one day, "Your Gruffalo Granny is coming to stay." Return to the deep dark wood with the first new Gruffalo story in over 20 years, and meet Gruffalo Granny as she visits the Gruffalo family. This fresh and exciting new Gruffalo adventure...
    Hardback
    $2499
    Elsewhere:
    $3000
    (3)
    In Stock
    Ships today
  • New Release
    The Sixth Faction
    Beatrice Prior stands on the brink of a decision every person in her world must make: five factions, five futures, five lives. She has a plan: she's going to make the bravest choice, and leave Abnegation behind to join Dauntless, even though it means leaving her family behind. But when tragedy strikes at her Choosing Ceremony, everything changes—her world, her...
    Paperback
    $2999
    Elsewhere:
    $3499
    In Stock
    Ships today
  • Detective Beans Colouring Club
    New Release
    Detective Beans Colouring Club
    Help Detective Beans solve the case of the missing colours! Join the Colouring Club now! Join the Detective Beans Colouring Club! Inside you'll find 40 removable colouring pages featuring scenes from all over Cat Town. Filled with all the characters you know and love from the Detective Beans graphic novels like Biscuits, Beans' mum, Mr Brickle, Bear, Detective Baby Bird...
    By Li Chen
    Paperback
    $1799
    Elsewhere:
    $2100
    In Stock
    Ships today
  • Wahine
    New Release
    Wahine
    From a majestic mermaid to a clay woman, the creator of glaciers to the mother of gardening, discover powerful wahine and how their stories shaped the world around us. Wahine introduces readers to twelve purakau of brave, bold, and inspiring women of Aotearoa. A beautifully illustrated collection that will delight the whole whanau, from award-winning illustrator Isobel Joy Te Aho-White....
    Hardback
    $3199
    Elsewhere:
    $3999
    In Stock
    Ships today
  • New Release
    Lottie Brooks’s Twelve Disasters of Christmas
    From hilarious MEGA bestselling author, Katie Kirby, comes a new story collection from the world of Lottie Brooks! But this time... it's not about Lottie! From hilarious MEGA bestselling author, Katie Kirby, comes a new story collection from the world of Lottie Brooks! And it's CHRISTMAS! In The Completely Chaotic Christmas of Lottie Brooks we spent the holiday season with...
    Paperback
    $1799
    Elsewhere:
    $2100
    In Stock
    Ships today
  • Matihe! Achoo! Matihe! Achoo!
    On Sale
    21% off
    New Release
    Matihe! Achoo!
    What happens when a grumpy tupua has to sneeze? Matihe! Achoo! is a bilingual story about the tupua Mataoho and his connection to the volcanoes of Tāmaki Makaurau, Auckland. It comes with an action song to engage young readers! He pūrākau e pā ana ki a Mataoho me ngā puia o Takamaki Makaurau. He tupua pukukino a Mataoho e noho...
    Paperback
    $1500
    Elsewhere:
    $2100
    In Stock
    Ships today
  • The Sweet As Looky Book
    New Release
    The Sweet As Looky Book
    Can you find all the chocolate fish? Is it possible for kiwi to fly? Can you spot the difference? See Aotearoa New Zealand through the eyes of award-winning artist Donovan Bixley in The Sweet As Looky Book. Use your finest skills to seek out pirates in the Bay of Islands and birds in Rakiura Stewart Island. Get in a car...
    Hardback
    $2299
    Elsewhere:
    $2799
    In Stock
    Ships today
  • Pocket Observology
    New Release
    Pocket Observology
    Pocket Observology is a practical field guide designed for those who love to explore and understand the natural world around them. Slip this guide out of your pocket to identify, measure, compare, or find clues to the things you encounter every day in nature. This pocket guide is a useful tool and a fun reminder of how to engage with...
    Paperback
    $2399
    Elsewhere:
    $2799
    In Stock
    Ships today
  • New Release
    The Day of the Dinosaur Disaster
    Angry anacondas, blizzarding blobs, carnivorous cactuses ... what kind of twisted curse will Glam-Evil think up this time?!Only it's not just Glam-Evil's curse the gang needs to worry about; they've got a few other problems, too. Swooping Pteranodons, a hungry T-Rex, a missing mother, and ... is that ... an ASTEROID?!Join MILES AND JONES as they face their biggest challenge...
    Paperback
    $1400
    Elsewhere:
    $1499
    In Stock
    Ships today
  • On Sale
    15% off
    New Release
    The Neverfear
    A world of richly-imagined wonder Cressida Cowell It’s the Midsummer Feast on the Islet of Glimt and on this magical moonlit evening, the word on everyone’s lips is bandits. Reports of masked men burning villages are spreading throughout the Archipelago, but worse is still to come: Christopher and Anya are ambushed and one of the people they love most is...
    Paperback
    $1700
    Elsewhere:
    $2299
    In Stock
    Ships today
  • New Release
    Mari the Unwonderful Witch
    A charming, cosy and thought-provoking tale about a wonderfully unconventional little witch, by bestselling author of BUTTER, Asako Yuzuki. Perfect for fans of WICKED, KIKI'S DELIVERY SERVICE, and THE HATMAKERS series by Tamzin Merchant - and anyone who likes an enchanting adventure with just a hint of mischief. Mari the Unwonderful Witch introduces us to Mari, an eleven-year-old witch who...
    Paperback
    $1999
    Elsewhere:
    $2400
    In Stock
    Ships today

Why buy from us?

Book Hero is not a chain store or big box retailer. We're an independent 100% NZ-owned business on a mission to help more Kiwis rediscover a love of books and reading!

Service & Delivery

Service & Delivery

Our warehouse in Auckland holds over 100,000 books, toys, board games and puzzles in-stock so you're not waiting for your order to arrive from overseas.

Auckland Bookstore

Auckland Bookstore

We're primarily an online store, but for your convenience you can pick up your order for free from our bookstore, which is right next door to our warehouse in Hobsonville.

Our Gifting Service

Our Gifting Service

Books make wonderful thoughtful gifts and we're here to help with gift-wrapping and cards. We can even send your gift directly to your loved one.