|
Reviewed
Pack 5: Stinky Cheeseman (age:7 to 12 years) |
|
Not meant for the
faint-hearted, this whacky pack will change your view on fairy-tales
forever. It jolts you to reality and
helps you see the other side of the stories. Not everyone lives
happily forever. Absolutely necessary to give your kids tons of laughter and a
well-balanced view of life.
|
|
 |
The Stinky Cheeseman and other Fairly Stupid Tales
(age 7-12 years)
Jon Scieszka & Lane
Smith. Published by Puffin
Books. ISBN0140548963. Age 7-12. 56 pages. 218mm X 266mm (8.6 in X 10.5 in).
1990. Paper Back.
Description
Jack, the poor chap who
stole from the Giant is your narrator. Actually, he 'talks' to you. Along
the way, he lets you in on some of the tricks he uses and frustration he faces
in trying to put this book together. He has done pretty well and managed to rope
in characters needed for:
- Chicken Licken
- The Princess and The Bowling
Ball
- The Really Ugly Duckling
- Little Red Running Shorts
- Jack's Bean Problem
- Cinderumpelstiltskin
- The Tortoise and The Hair
- The Stinky Cheeseman
Each story is told in
between 2 to 4 pages (including pictures) except for The Stinky Cheeseman. Being
the main piece, it took up 10 pages. Font size grows and shrinks, in sync with
the mood of the narration. Pictures are witty and satirical.
Our review
Amazingly hilarious,
you and the kids will be so enthralled and tickled. It makes you hold your
breath as you turn the pages with anticipation, wondering what else can Scieszka
come up with. The font sizes and the picture themselves provide much to talk
about. Will not reveal the stories except that the titles do give an indication
of how each one turned out. A brilliant book for everyone, including
grandparents. Can be used as a remedy for relaxation as it will transform kids
and adults into hysterically limp creatures.
| To order this title, click on the 'Add To Cart' button in the main store.
|
Top |
|
|
 |
Revolting Rhymes
(age 5-12 years)
Roald Dahl.
Published by Puffin Books. ISBN0140568247. Age 7-12. 48 pages. 203mm X
264mm (8 in X 10.4 in). 2001.Paperback.
Description
Roald Dahl reinvented six of the best-loved fairy tales in rhymes, with entirely
different endings.
- Cinderella - she married
a jam-maker and were happy ever after.
- Jack and the Beanstalk -
Jack vowed to bathe everyday as it had made him a millionaire.
- Snow White and the Seven
Dwarfs - she helped the dwarfs to win horse-races and each was soon a
millionaire.
- Goldilocks and the Three
Bears - nobody ever saw her left the three bears' house alive.
- Little Red Riding Hood and
the Wolf - she queried the wolf on the usual stuff like his big eyes,
etc and a few weeks later, she was spotted with a lovely furry wolfskin
coat.
- The Three Little Pigs -
it is a pity little piglet trusted that young lady from upper crust.
Quentin Blake's mainly full-page
illustration appears on every two to three pages.
Our review
This is an extremely popular book. Roald Dahl's reinventions are both
gross and humorous at the same time. The title describes the book aptly,
i.e. revolting. In each tale, the protagonists resumed their respective
roles but often not their personality. So, don't expect Cinderella's
Prince Charming to be charming nor Little Red Riding Hood to be helpless
and kind. As usual, Dahl was fond of presenting tales in 'realistic'
situation. For instance, heads got chopped off in Cinderella. Jack argued
with his mother and even challenged her to climb the bean stalk herself. A
book to prepare the children for the harsh world that surrounds them and
to question the age-old accepted stories. Being a rhyme book, they will
certainly have an entertaining time.
| To order this title, click on the 'Add To Cart' button
in the main store.
|
Top |
|
|
 |
Fungus the Bogeyman
(age 7-12 years)
Raymond Briggs.
Published by Puffin Books. ISBN0140320083. Age7+ years. 80 pages. 220mm X
270mm (8.7 in X 10.6 in). 1977. Paperback.
Description
A story about life in the 'underworld', literally, in the form of a comic book.
Fungus is a bogeyman who lives in Bogeydom, a dark and dim place way beneath the
earth surface. A new bogey day begins when the sun sets. Bogeymen can't stand
light. They like everything to be dirty, slimy, cold, wet, fetid, dark, quiet,
slow and uncompetitive. Names in Bogeydom revolves around these themes - Fungus
(of course), Mildew, Mould, Sully and Fester. All effort is geared towards
making their house dirty; their food rotten and smelly; and their living
condition dark and wet. Bogeymen work on the surface. Every night, they travel
to the surface on their bicycles through wet, dripping tunnels to haunt,
frighten and create boils on Drycleaners (human). They are fond of flies,
maggots and rubbish. Their music consists of running sewer water, the drip of slime echoing in cellars and the moaning of chill winds in lonely tunnel. Get the
idea?
Every aspect of a bogeyman's life is described in
great detail and it is these details that intrigue you..
Our review
Some children relish disgusting stories. One time or another, they would
have exchanged banter on obnoxious tales, building upon each other's
imagination and ended up cackling with glee. This book completes the kids'
repulsive fantasy by immortalising it in words and pictures. The perfect
book to keep your child occupied and at the same time expand his
vocabulary. To the uninitiated, Fungus will tap into the children's
untrained minds and consequently help to nurture their creativity.
In many ways, it reminds you of your own kids who
come home with dirt under their finger nails and whose rooms have dirt-ball at
every corner.
| To order this title, click on the 'Add To Cart' button
in the main store.
|
Top |
|
|
 |
Uncle Billy Being Silly
(age 7-12 years)
Michael Rosen.
Published by Puffin Books. ISBN0141300213. Age 6-11 years. 65 pages. 130mm X
197mm (5.1 in X 7.8 in). 2001. Paperback.
Description
A small book that contains 17 poems about Michael Rosen's family and friends and
all kinds of things.
Some example of the titles are:
- Going Through the Old Photos - a
short poem in the form of kids asking an adult the many people in the old
photos.
- My Brother's On the Floor Roaring - My
brother is roaring on the floor because he is supposed to finish his beans
before he gets his pudding.
- Invitation - My younger who burst
into tears after he has finished writing the invitation card for his party.
Guess what he is crying about, bearing in mind he is four years old.
Some poems are as short as one page and others as
long as six pages. Illustration appears on every page and is done by Korky Paul,
the same guy who illustrated "The Rascally Cake" (Reviewed Pack 3).
Our review
The silliness in the poems will find its way into you. As you lap up the pages,
on more than one occasion, you'll be brought to a halt, leaving you bewildered.
Like, duh, what's the issue here? But then, this book is meant for kids age 6-10
years old. Their minds are simple and innocent and they do not demand that all
poems contain logical sequence of event with a solution or proper ending at the
end. They like being silly (try arguing with them) and these short poems will
satisfy their appetite for giggles and fun.
| To order this title, click on the 'Add To Cart' button
in the main store.
|
Top |
|
|
