| The Stinky Cheese Man and other Fairly Stupid | | | | that The Ugly Duckling says he will grow to be a |
| Tales by Jon Scieszka Lane Smith Perhaps one of | | | | swan but instead grows up to be just a really |
| the most unique picture books ever created this | | | | ugly duckling. Similar plays on our expectations |
| book is made up of differing farcical and | | | | occur in The Other Frog Prince, in which the frog |
| humorous stories of various fairy tale stories. | | | | gets the princess to kiss him by telling her that he |
| These stories begin oddly enough on the end | | | | is a prince. However rather then transform tells |
| paper with an obnoxious and loud hen who yells at | | | | her he was just kidding and leaves her to wipe |
| the narrator, who gets the hen to be quite by | | | | the slime off of her lips. |
| bringing in the title page in big bold letters. | | | | One could course ponder the social ramifications |
| By utilizing the structure of the book as an actual | | | | of these stories as they do so often with fairy |
| story element, and by discusses this as a book | | | | tales. The frog in the story leaves the princess to |
| the narrator adds a new level of humor and wit | | | | wipe the slime from their short lived relationship |
| rarely explored in picture books, though common | | | | from her lips. This is the nature of most |
| in farces of fairy tale stories. Though Scieszka | | | | relationships; they end, not with people even living |
| and Smith add a new layer of playfulness to this, | | | | together until death, but with divorce, or a break |
| telling us that no one ever reads the | | | | up long before anyone even thinks of marriage. In |
| acknowledgments and so they put these upside | | | | many cases there was no intention of staying |
| down, so if we want to read them we can | | | | together by one party or the other, rather the |
| always stand on our head. This form of | | | | relationship was itself a farce, like this fairy tale it |
| communication appeals as much to older readers | | | | was merely one party lying to the other for the |
| as to young children, so it is not uncommon for | | | | sole purpose of having the short lived relationship. |
| people who are in their twenties to talk about | | | | Further one can question the nature of the original |
| how funny they find this picture book. In some | | | | Ugly Duckling fairy tale as does to the Really Ugly |
| way's Smith and Scieszka's books all seem to | | | | Duckling story. The story derives some of its |
| appeal to older audiences, though they still send | | | | humor from the fact that we are all aware that |
| little kids into irrepressible giggles. | | | | most people will not grow to be swans; most |
| Part of the uniqueness of this book is its | | | | people are failures in achieving their dreams. The |
| illustrations which are certainly not cute, rather | | | | harsh reality is that the fairy tales moral does little |
| they are a form of modern art, often looking like | | | | to alleviate the problem, why after all should |
| cut out collages, the characters are warped, | | | | children presume that someone would grow to be |
| prompting children to comment that Chicken | | | | wonderful and great. The truth is no such |
| Licken's eyes are wrong, or on some other part | | | | presumptions are normally forth coming or |
| of the picture. This art works well for a number | | | | justifiable. We must then find a way to be nice |
| of reasons, first it lets the reader know instantly | | | | despite the fact that someone will likely grow to |
| the unique nature of this picture book, it is a | | | | be no better off, no different from they are at |
| warping of the story telling tradition in fairy tales | | | | any given moment. |
| and picture books. Second having the art warped | | | | Certainly such readings of the stories goes |
| helps to expose children to the often warped | | | | beyond their initial purpose in humor, however |
| nature of modern art, such exposure helps them | | | | what is funny within a society is based in part on |
| expand their own understanding of the visual | | | | the underlying thoughts, events, and emotions of |
| languages. It is also important to realize that the | | | | the society. The Stinky Cheese Man relies on |
| weird nature of the art in this book adds to the | | | | societies understanding and thinking to be funny. |
| humorous nature of the stories within it. | | | | For this reason though the meaning of the stories |
| Once the book starts, with the first story of | | | | may not have been direct they do indeed tell us |
| Chicken Licken, it descends into an almost chaotic | | | | something about ourselves, and our emotional |
| verse, in which the Narrator of the book | | | | state, even as they provide insight into the fairy |
| repeatedly tries to get the attention of the overly | | | | tales themselves. |
| excited characters in this first story, until at last | | | | This is exemplified in the final page of the book |
| the Table of Contents falls and squishes all the | | | | when the narrator Jack runs away from the giant |
| characters. | | | | leaving the hen to be eaten. Within the fairy tale |
| Later stories leave this interaction with the third | | | | story Jack was a very greedy person, robbing |
| wall and the books elements, relying on wry | | | | the giant many times, much more then truly |
| humor and surprises based on our understanding | | | | needed, and when the giant attempts to punish |
| of the fairy tale stories which they farce. In the | | | | him for the theft he kills the giant. Deceit in fairy |
| Ugly Duckling for example the humor comes both | | | | tales then is something to be respected and this |
| from the look of the ugly duckling ant the fact | | | | trend has come over into picture books as well. |