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

Every fairytale that you thought you knew is turned upside down in The Stinky Cheese Man and Other Fairly Stupid Tales. Inside this book are multiple stories. With titles such as The Princess and the Bowling Ball, The Really Ugly Duckling, and Cinderumpelstiltskin, new twisted versions of classic fairy tales emerge that lean to the side of ridiculousness. Yet, for kids, this has the right amount of humor to have them laughing up a storm. Even before the story begins, the words TITLE PAGE shows up on the title page, and the dedication page is upside down because as Jack from Jack and the Beanstalk says, "Who ever looks at that dedication stuff anyhow? If you really want to read it-you can always stand on your head." This "special" type of humor is consistent through The Stinky Cheese Man. In the story of The Stinky Cheese Man (a twist on the Gingerbread Man), no one chases the stinky cheese man because he is too smelly. Even the fox lets him go. In The Really Ugly Duckling, the ugly duckling does turn out to be an ugly duck and does not turn into a beautiful swan.

These fractured fairy tales keep coming and coming. Each fairy tale is twisted. This book might inspire children to write their own fractured fairy tale or fractured story by taking a familiar, traditional story and changing it until the storyline distinctly changes. Besides the humorous words, the pictures are entertaining as well. There are also "twisted" pictures of fairy tale characters. As mentioned previously, the ugly duckling remains an ugly duck, and Cinderella doesn't meet her Prince Charming. Besides the interesting pictures, the use of text is also very unique. Sometimes the text appears in normal size font, but at other times, caps lock is used or different font styles are used.

Instead of having the traditional book jacket with the author's pictures in the back, there are pictures of George Washington and Abraham Lincoln. As the 10th anniversary edition, the author's note states, "Jon Scieszka has written a lot more books and chopped down a lot more cherry trees in the last 10 years." Lane Smith's biography says, "Lane Smith has illustrated four score and seven projects." This story transforms every aspect of a traditional story from the front cover to the back cover and everything in-between. Everything about this story is fractured.