Author: J.J. & Chris Grabenstein
Illustrator: Alex Patrick
© Date: 2024
Publisher: Harper
Pages: 85
Chapters: Yes
Illustrations: Yes, most page layouts have an illustration
Publisher Recommended Age: 6-10 years
Bonus Activities at End of Book: No
Summary from Book: Mrs. Emerson, the librarian, has just read ‘The Boy Who Cried Wolf!” to the class. But after the tale is done and Mrs. Emerson has left, Stinky the stuffed skunk and his stuffed animal friends come to life. The kids don’t want the story to be over, so Stinky steps in to tell them what happened next. And wouldn’t you know it, according to Stinky, the boy who cried wolf found a whole new word to shout out: “Underpants!” Yep, you read that right-“Underpants!” But what happens when the boy’s new cry reaches the ears of the queen and sends the whole city into chaos?
Find out in the laugh-out-loud chapter book series from New York Times bestselling author Chris Grabenstein and J.J. Grabenstein, wish hilarious illustrations from Alex Patrick in every chapter. Reading has never been so much stinkin’ fun!
Note: This review is done from memory. I originally read this a short bit ago.
Page Pig Thoughts: These books are based on the fun idea of creating your own ending for a story. Students come to the library for story time, but are unsatisfied with the endings of fairy tales. Maybe someone is seeking a happier ending or maybe they are unhappy that Jack stole from the giant and had no consequence. The children ask the stuffed animals and the best storyteller, Stinky the skunk, gives a new ending for the fairy tale. The stuffed animals only talk to children when adults are not around, but Mrs. Emerson the librarian seems to know that Stinky tells stories.
Stinky tells the stories and he puts himself in the center of them. Stinky manages to use his stinky tail for good in his stories. He has a different gross sounding smell that he will use to distract people or clear out a room.
Yes, these stories have potty style humor. Yes, they are silly. Yes, Page Pup and I both had fun reading them. Stinky’s tales are witty and you never really know where they are going, but the journey is entertaining.
Page Pup debated between one and two thumbs up for this series.
Family Unit: Not really discussed, a group of stuffed animals sit on a shelf, students come to the library
Conflict/Social Issues:
- The boy who cried wolf leaves his hometown for the big city. He was given the most boring jobs because he kept crying wolf while he was tending sheep.
- The boy who cried wolf was told by the politeness police that he needs to stop crying underpants, but he just can’t help himself.
Positive Items:
- These stories take fairy tale characters and put them into a ridiculous story. Maybe these could inspire someone to write their own stories with known characters or rewrite story endings.
- Thinking about Jack as a thief and the three billy goats as bullies might get someone thinking more deeply about fairy tales.
Items of Interest:
- The boy who cried wolf is from Doonferbleck, a town known for its doonfer. What is doonfer? Mushy gruel made from mashed beans, barley, bugs, and boogers.
- One of the smells that Stinky unleashes is cat barf in a dirty diaper topped with moldy green cheese.
- The boy who cried wold turned to crying underpants, which works out in the end. The Queen thinks that everyone’s underpants are smelly, so they need to keep them underneath their clothing.
Other Books in Series (At Time of Posting):
- Book 2 – Jack and the Beanstink
- Book 3 – The Three Smelly Goats Gruff
- Book 4 – Moldylocks and the Three Bears (Coming Sept 2025)