Scieszka, Jon Books

The True Story of the Three Little Pigs

Jon Scieszka

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 150 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

Did the story of the three little pigs ever seem slightly biased to you? All that huffing and puffing--could one wolf really be so unequivocally evil? Finally, we get to hear the rest of the story, "as told to author Jon Scieszka," straight from the wolf's mouth. As Alexander T. Wolf explains it, the whole Big Bad Wolf thing was just a big misunderstanding. Al Wolf was minding his own business, making his granny a cake, when he realized he was out of a key ingredient. He innocently went from house to house to house (one made of straw, one of sticks, and one of bricks) asking to borrow a cup of sugar. Could he help it if he had a bad cold, causing him to sneeze gigantic, gale-force sneezes? Could he help it if pigs these days use shabby construction materials? And after the pigs had been ever-so-accidentally killed, well, who can blame him for having a snack?

As with The Stinky Cheese Man and Other Fairly Stupid Tales, (another stellar collaboration by Scieszka and illustrator Lane Smith), children who know all the old stories by heart will delight in reading impudent new versions. Here, Scieszka's text is clever, savvy, and tabloid-quick, and Smith's stretchy-strange illustrations complete this funny, irreverent, thoroughly original tale. (Ages 4 to 8)

The Stinky Cheese Man and Other Fairly Stupid Tales

Jon Scieszka

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 154 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Surgeon's General's Warning... 5 out of 5 stars.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.

SURGEON'S GENERAL'S WARNING: It has been determined that these tales are fairly stupid and probably dangerous to your health. But by all means, keep reading "The Stinky Cheese Man and other Fairly Stupid Tales" by Jon Scieszka and illustrated by Lane Smith (Scholastic, 1992). While these retellings of familiar fairy tales may make Mother Goose lose all her feathers in shock, the tales are a fun dose of mockery and sarcasm. The Ugly Duckling grows up to be nothing more than ugly, the princess gets a slimy smooch instead of a handsome prince, and the sky opens on Chicken Licken to reveal nothing but the falling Table of Contents. Text and image play and weave creatively together in this Caldecott Honor book, thanks to Jack the Narrator who puts pages upside down, mixes large and small fonts, and slips characters in and out of stories. While some readers may ask like the Hen does on the back cover "Who will buy this book anyway? Over fifty pages of nonsense... blah, blah, blah," those with a sense of humor will forgo the lack of classic literature quality and instead embrace it as it is: an entertaining piece of fairly stupid tales.

Editorial Review:

If geese had graves, Mother Goose would be rolling in hers. The Stinky Cheese Man and Other Fairly Stupid Tales retells--and wreaks havoc on--the allegories we all thought we knew by heart. In these irreverent variations on well-known themes, the ugly duckling grows up to be an ugly duck, and the princess who kisses the frog wins only a mouthful of amphibian slime. The Stinky Cheese Man deconstructs not only the tradition of the fairy tale but also the entire notion of a book. Our naughty narrator, Jack, makes a mockery of the title page, the table of contents, and even the endpaper by shuffling, scoffing, and generally paying no mind to structure. Characters slide in and out of tales; Cinderella rebuffs Rumpelstiltskin, and the Giant at the top of the beanstalk snacks on the Little Red Hen. There are no lessons to be learned or morals to take to heart--just good, sarcastic fun that smart-alecks of all ages will love.

Smash! Crash! (Jon Scieszka's Trucktown)

Jon Scieszka

Amazon Price: $11.55 List Price: $16.99 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing Amazon Marketplace: 52 new & used starting at $5.98

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 26 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

Welcome to Jon Scieszka's Trucktown, a brand-new preschool/kindergarten series that will come in more shapes, sizes, and formats than you can shake a bumper at. It's a world where all the characters are trucks, all the stories are action driven, and boys and girls can imagine themselves in all their crazy, loud, funny, creative, excited, full-throttle glory! It's a world where we work at play, and we play at work... and no one's afraid to get dirty or be LOUD! And it all kicks off with Smash! Crash! best friends Jack and Dan are spending their day doing what they do best--smashing and crashing! All the while a strange shadow is following them around every corner... Who is this new addition to Trucktown? What does she want? Rhythmic, rollicking text will get kids' motors running and horns honking with each refrain! This is a book that begs to be read again and again!

---

Meet the Trucktown Gang

Jack Truck Jack is a prankster action hero! He is active, rowdy, messy, loud and goofy. He is the fastest truck and the best-at-truck-sports truck. Jack's work is to play. And he plays, and plays, and plays, and plays.

Dump Truck Dan Dan is Jack Truck's best friend. He is one strong truck and loves to show off that strength, whether its pushing rocks, loading up dirt, or getting into trouble with Jack.

Payloader Pete Pete is Dan's brother, and he is loud, rough, tough and competitive! But he's also the most loyal friend a truck could have. As he puts it "I would take a punch in the grill for those guys."

Cement Mixer Melvin "I'm worried!" and "I don't want to" are two of Melvin's favorite phrases. He is a loveable worrier, which is good because he LOVES to worry.

Gabriella Garbage Truck Gabriella knows everyone and everything. She's a social butterfly and maybe bit of a know-it-all, but still a blast to have around. She can always talk about what's going on! And talk... and talk... and...

Monster Truck Max Max is everything you would expect a monster truck to be. Especially ACTIVE! He is oversized, jacked up, and nitro-boosted to the MAX! He's always getting his wild self into trouble and it's a good thing he's got good friends like Jack and Dan to help him along the way.

Grader Kat Sensitive, creative, and mature, Grader Kat is the most artistic truck around. Don't believe it? Check out her tire treads! Her creative ideas and experimental nature make her a great addition to any adventure.

Wrecker Rosie Rosie is big. Rosie is a wrecker. Rosie is a great big wrecker sweet and clumsy and who lives to bounce about wrecking things. But beneath all that noise and wreckage there is also a very big heart.

Tow Truck Ted Tow Truck Ted is smart--really smart. He knows more about truck mechanics, repair, history, and even truck mythology than anybody else. But watch out, he's also got a sly side and he's always got a plan.

Izzy Ice Cream Truck Izzy is an ice cream truck. He sells ice cream and only ice cream. And he says only one thing--"Do you want ice cream? Do you want ice cream? Do you want ice cream?"

Hook and Ladder Lucy and Pumper Pat These fire truck twins are responsible, do-gooder citizens. Practically always together, they love doing things the right way. Lucy thinks they are being responsible. Jack and Dan think they’re a little bossy.

Big Rig Big Rig is a bully. He's a tailgating, horn blasting, black exhaust spewing, license expired, outlaw. And those might be the nicest things you could say about him. The best thing to do with this guy is steer clear.

Rescue Rita Rita is Lucy and Pat's little sister. And the biggest tag-a-long... She just wants to join in on all.

---

Math Curse

Jon Scieszka

Amazon Price: $11.69 List Price: $17.99 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Viking Juvenile Amazon Marketplace: 138 new & used starting at $3.59

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 58 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Math Curse 5 out of 5 stars.
1 of 2 people found this review helpful.

Have you ever had the math curse? Well, in the book Math Curse, a young boy gets put under the math curse. It all started when his teacher said, "You know, you can think of almost everything as a math problem." That got his mind turning. After that, EVERYTHING was a math problem to him. This little boy had a creative mind. 24 cupcakes, 25 students, 365 days, 52 weeks, 12 months hmm... Will this curse ever leave him alone?
This story is realistic fiction. The author, Jon Scieszka, does a wonderful job explaining every thing. It is easy to understand and to follow. I think that anyone who knows how to read would enjoy this book. Never before have I read a book quite like this one. It is almost like a Roald Dahl book, where your mind will be wondering what will happen untill the very end. Personally, I loved this book, and I am sure that you will too.

Editorial Review:

Did you ever wake up to one of those days where everything is a problem? You have 10 things to do, but only 30 minutes till the bus leaves. Is there enough time? You have 3 shirts and 2 pairs of pants -- can you make 1 good outfit? Don't worry -- it's just the Math Curse striking! An amusing book about dealing with numbers in everyday life.

Knights of the Kitchen Table (Time Warp Trio)

Jon Scieszka

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 27 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

The start of an empire 3 out of 5 stars.
1 of 4 people found this review helpful.

Finally Lane Smithh and Jim Szcieska have found their niche. These (now eleven?) stories are about to become a series on either Nickelodeon or Cartoon Network. And this is the book that started it all. Alas.

The good thing is that through the eyes of young boys the era of the Middle Ages is debunked from myth - it was smelly, dirty, unhealthy, and those suits of armor made from aluminium today weighed a lot more in those days.

But the story reads like it has a formula already: cliffhanger at the end of Chapter 1 (where do the boys wind up?), cliffhanger at the end of Chapter 2 (the boys are about to be attacked), cliffhanger at the end of Chapter 3 (the Book that got them there is in peril/unattainable/out of reach), happy resolution at the end of the book.

It's the young person's version of Robert Ludlum. Pity. I bought the first four books on the strength of other books by this dynamic duo, but I will not be buying the rest. I don't buy Robert Ludlum because I don't buy formula at any level.

Life is way more dynamic than that.

Editorial Review:

Everyone’s favorite time-travelers are changing their style! The Time Warp Trio® series now features brand-new, eye-catching art in a modern design, sure to appeal to longtime fans and those new to Jon Scieszka’s wacky brand of humor.

Not-so-Jolly Roger, The TWT r/i (Time Warp Trio)

Jon Scieszka

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 12 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

The not so Jolly Roger 5 out of 5 stars.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.

I liked The not so Jolly Roger becuase it was a mystery and I love myseries. My favorite part was when Fred was reading a book and Fred got sucked into one of the pages. The not so Jolly roger could be better by taking out the part when a pirate shoots his mates after they got done buring the treasure they found. Iread the story becuase in the first book of the series, it was really interesting,so it made me think The not so Jolly Roger was going to be interesting.

S.W.

THE MOST FANTASTIC BOOK YOU'LL EVER READ!!!!!! 5 out of 5 stars.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.

It all starts out with someone I really would call a "Not so Jolly Roger." They have pistols, daggars and lots of cool weapons in this book. (Violent). Something always goes wrong-wich always happens in books-of course. Get this book or I'll be "The not so Jolly Roger."

Yo ho ho and a bottle of rum 5 out of 5 stars.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.

Sam is the thinker, Joe is a baseball player and the last guy is kinda like Sam too.
This was a very good book. I recommend it.
Blackbeard Joe has a bad voice and he cannot carry a tune.
Go find this book today!

Editorial Review:

Everyone’s favorite time-travelers are changing their style! The Time Warp Trio® series now features brand-new, eye-catching art in a modern design, sure to appeal to longtime fans and those new to Jon Scieszka’s wacky brand of humor.

Good, the Bad, and the Goofy, The (Time Warp Trio) r/i

Jon Scieszka

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 9 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

The Good The Bad And The Goofy 5 out of 5 stars.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.

Joe, Fred, and Sam are watching a western show, when suddenly they get sucked back into the book.The boys find themselves in a desert.Fred starts to hear something.It's a stampede.They are about to get hit by the stampede! Will anyone come to their rescue?
Some of the funny parts are when they almost get run over by the cows and at the end when you see the hole in Fred's hat.In one of the pictures the cow has 5 utters so tht was funny.I think you should read this book because it's just as funny as the first two Time Warp Trio books.

The Time Warp Trio THE GOOD, THE BAD, AND THE GOOFY 5 out of 5 stars.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.

Do you like funny things? Because if you do this is the book for you. It's about three boys named Fred, Sam, and Cookie who use magic to go back in time to 1816, the western time period of time.
Jon Scieszka writes it. He writes the series called The Time Warp Trio. I really like this book.
If you want to find out what happens to Sam, Fred, and Cookie go to your local library.

Editorial Review:

Everyone’s favorite time-travelers are changing their style! The Time Warp Trio® series now features brand-new, eye-catching art in a modern design, sure to appeal to longtime fans and those new to Jon Scieszka’s wacky brand of humor.

Squids Will Be Squids (Picture Puffins)

Jon Scieszka

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 27 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

Every once in a while a book crosses our desks that makes us sit quietly delighted--except for a few squeaks of unmitigated joy--and this oversized, energized, stylized, highly prized book of fables is one of them. Jon Scieszka has a simple philosophy of the fable: "If you can't say something nice about someone, change the guy's name to Donkey or Squid." After all, the alleged Aesop did it. Squids Will Be Squids offers lessons such as "Everyone knows frogs can't skateboard, but it's kind of sad that they believe everything they see on TV." Sure, it's goofy, but it's also saying to kids, "Don't believe everything you see on TV." In "Duckbilled Platypus vs. Beefsnakstick," the bragging platypus and his beefy buddy teach us "Just because you have a lot of stuff, don't think you're so special." Of course, there is nothing heavy-handed here--morals such as "He who smelt it, dealt it" and "Elephants never forget, except sometimes" satirically prance amid the more heartfelt snippets of sagacity.

Scieszka and illustrator Lane Smith are unparalleled in their eccentricity and unrelenting in their boyish, twisted-yet-innocent zeal. In co-creations from The Stinky Cheese Man and Other Fairly Stupid Tales to The True Story of the 3 Little Pigs to Math Curse, Scieszka's wacko sense of humor and Smith's quirky, always gorgeous artwork thrillingly congeal in Molly Leach's creative, exuberant design. We see many picture books that are better suited for adults than kids, but this fine specimen is truly meant for goofballs of all ages. (Click to see a sample spread. Illustration © 1998 Lane Smith, reproduced with permission of Viking, a division of Penguin Putnam.) (All ages) --Karin Snelson

Science Verse

Jon Scieszka

Amazon Price: $9.99 List Price: $9.99 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Viking Juvenile Amazon Marketplace: 46 new & used starting at $2.83

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 14 Average rating: 3.5 of 5

Science and poetry all rolled up in one? Howwwwww fun! 5 out of 5 stars.
4 of 4 people found this review helpful.

Okay. First of all, ignore the other reviews that rant about the unevenness of the poetry in here. Whoever said that all poetry must be measured exactly, like a recipe for the perfect peach pie? Lighten up people! Last time I checked, this book was in the children's section. The idea here is to have FUN. You can read this to your little ones, and they may enjoy the crazy little illustrations and such, but I think the older crowd will appreciate it even more. (By older, I'm talking about middle schoolers and high schoolers, but adults will hopefully get the humor in it as well). The more you know your science terms and/or poetry, the more you will laugh! There are some great twists on classic poems like Edgar Allan Poe's "The Raven" and Thayer's "Casey at the Bat". My personal favorite was the section entitled, "Why Scientists Don't Write Nursery Rhymes", particularly the one based on Jack Be Nimble - made my test tubes shake with delight.

Editorial Review:

"Amoeba"

Don't ever tease a wee amoeba

By calling him a her amoeba.

And don't call her a him amoeba.

Or never he a she amoeba.

'Cause whether his or hers amoeba,

They too feel like you and meba.

What if a boring lesson about the food chain becomes a sing-aloud celebration about predators and prey? A twinkle-twinkle little star transforms into a twinkle-less, sunshine-eating-and rhyming Black Hole? What if amoebas, combustion, metamorphosis, viruses, the creation of the universe are all irresistible, laugh-out-loud poetry? Well, you're thinking in science verse, that's what. And if you can't stop the rhymes . . . the atomic joke is on you. Only the amazing talents of Jon Scieszka and Lane Smith, the team who created Math Curse, could make science so much fun.

Cowboy and Octopus

Jon Scieszka

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 12 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Love the book 5 out of 5 stars.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.

We took it out from the library and, like a previous poster, will be purchasing it soon.

If I had to sum up this book in one word, that word would almost certainly have to be "quirky". Not a word I like, but an excellent description of this book :)

The book is a series of very short stories about two paper cut-outs, a cowboy and an octopus. (Boy, you weren't expecting that, were you?) Mostly, the vignettes are just pure silliness, but there's an element of "What does it mean to be a friend" in many of them as well.

Most of the jokes aren't going to take an adult by surprise (or, for that matter, a lot of little kids), but they set-up and illustrations still combine to make them really, inexplicably funny.

I fully recommend this book to anybody who has a five year old, will have a five year old, once had a five year old, or has ever come within 1000 feet of a five year old.

Editorial Review:

Peanut butter and jelly. George and Martha. Frog and Toad. Cowboy and . . . Octopus? Yes, that’s right. Meet Cowboy and Octopus—the next great pair to become a household name. Cowboy likes beans’n’bacon and bacon’n’beans. Octopus eats raw seafood. Octopus prefers knock-knock jokes, but Cowboy doesn’t get them. How will these two ever be friends?

Illustrated in funky, vintage-style cut-outs and told in several humorous mini-stories, the famous Stinky Cheese Man duo of Scieszka and Smith have created sweet—and of course hilarious—tales of an unlikely friendship.