Reading something old, something new, something borrowed, and something blue
The Stinky Cheese Man and other Fairly Stupid Tales by Jon Scieszka and Lane Smith
I’ve been looking for this book for ages, and I temporarily lifted my book-buying moratorium because I chanced upon it at book sale (I love you guys, whoever’s behind the store, even though that beatrix potter book I’ve requested online from you still hasn’t been confirmed, and that was a whole year ago!)… Whee!
I discovered The Stinky Cheese Man and my love for Lane Smith when I was taking Illustration classes under Panch Alcaraz, when she lent me the book to use as a reference for my thesis. I’ve been looking for it for three years now (heartbroken at the INKmas party, when someone turned it in as an exchange gift, and it missed me by a couple of persons during the passing), and I finally have it! Yehey!
To those not familiar with the book, it’s an irreverent parody of fairy tales, one of the best examples of post-modern children’s books today, deconstructing not only the fairy tale but the concept of a book as well. It’s funny in a way both kids and grownups can enjoy (Chickoy and I had a fun time reading it together!), no matter how many times you read it.
I love it love it love it!
***
My copy: hardcover with dust jacket, from Book Sale
My rating: 5/5 stars
| Print article | This entry was posted by blooey@gmail.com on January 2, 2009 at 2:48 pm, and is filed under Book Reviews. Follow any responses to this post through RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback from your own site. |
No comments yet.
All about Eloise
about 1 month ago - 4 comments
Eloise is one of my favorite children’s book characters, although not one I know from childhood (unlike Babar, Madeline, Curious George, or Tintin). I only discovered Eloise when I saw the old movie (with Julie Andrews as Nanny) on Disney channel when I was in college and learned that it was based on
Picture Book Roundup: letters, numbers, and apostrophes
about 2 months ago - 4 comments
I’ve missed doing picture book roundups, and I don’t think I’ve done a proper one yet this year so here’s a bunch of picture books I’ve enjoyed recently: Stephen T. Johnson’s Alphabet City, its companion book City By Numbers, and The Girl’s Like Spaghetti (Why, you can’t manage without apostrophes!) by Lynne Truss (illustrated by
Edward Gorey
about 3 months ago - 3 comments
Edward Gorey is one of my favorite writer-illustrators. I love his lyrical and wickedly macabre stories — like a twisted Edward Lear or Lewis Carroll) and his equally macabre pen and ink illustrations! I’ve blogged about acouple books of his in the past — Old Possum’s Book of Practical Cats (illustrations) and The Curious Sofa
Dracula wonders why this “Edward” and “Bella” are people he may know
about 7 months ago - 20 comments
I avoided bookstores last December because I’m prone to splurging more at the end of the year (and God knows I have entirely too many books waiting for me at home) but there was one book that I couldn’t pass up buying, because of its sheer entertainment value (for me, at least). It’s a book
¿Habla Español?
about 7 months ago - 8 comments
In a multicultural world, bilingual books serve as great tools for learning a second language, making it more accessible to readers of two languages. Here in the Philippines, almost all picture books are bilingual, with English and Filipino translations side by side, as young readers learn in both languages. Last December, I was organizing my
More Po-Mo picture books (Picture book roundup 10)
about 9 months ago - No comments
I’ve been fascinated with postmodern picture books ever since I took a course in children’s books back in college. Since then I’ve been building up my collection of po-mo picture books, and I’ve now got over 20 of them, mostly from rummaging through bargain bins. I love how po-mo picture books challenge the reader to
Squee! James Jean rocks!
about 9 months ago - 6 comments
One book off my Christmas wishlist! I happened to pass by a bookstore today and I couldn’t resist getting one of the books on my Christmas wishlist. I normally have more self-control (riiight), but Fables’ cover artist James Jean was in town and he was signing autographs so I was sold. I rushed to the
Yodelayheehoo! (The Very Persistent Gappers of Frip)
about 9 months ago - No comments
Lane Smith (of The Stinky Cheese Man and Other Fairly Stupid Tales, Hooray for Diffendoofer Day, The True Story of the Three Little Pigs and many others) is one of my all-time favorite illustrators, and I’ve got a growing collection of his books (mostly the result of foraging in bargain bins!). I’d been eyeing the
Vintage Parade! (Picture Book Roundup #9)
about 10 months ago - 10 comments
It’s been months since my last picture book roundup, and I miss doing it, even though it takes a bit longer to put one together. I love picture books and have a growing collection of them, because buying them doesn’t make me feel guilty about adding to my TBR (hehehe!) So far I’ve done eight
Reading in the 21st century
about 11 months ago - 7 comments
Reading never goes out of style, even in the age of technology. In the August 1894 issue of Scribner’s magazine, an article by Octave Uzanne, predicted “The End of Books,” proposing that in the 20th century, the printed page will be replaced by “storyographs,” patented cylinders containing recordings of books, and writers replaced by “Narrators”
