Review Detail

The Boy Who Cried Underpants is the first book in a chapter book series that takes old fairytales and makes them new with a stinky twist. After story time is over at the library, the stuffie, Stinky the Skunk, helps the kids enjoy a different ending than the sheep getting eaten by the wolf in the story, The Boy Who Cried Wolf.
In this tall tale, Stinky is a character who meets the boy named Bob and helps him when he leaves his tiny town and gets in trouble for crying “underpants” at people.
This chapter book is humorous, and the black and white illustrations break up the text while also emphasizing the silly parts of the events.
What I enjoy about this story is how easy it makes it feel to reimagine a story and make it new. The children didn’t like the ending they heard, and had a great time hearing it differently. It showcases the fluidity of the story and how something great can come when you use your imagination. Bedtime stories can be more silly once readers learn how to do this.
Overall, the book is great for independent readers, read-aloud, and reluctant readers. The illustrations and silly events show that using your imagination is easy and fun. I enjoy that it takes common stories and makes them new again. This is perfect for fans of Jon Scieszka, particularly the books The Stinky Cheese Man and Other Fairly Stupid Tales and The Real Dada Mother Goose: A Treasury of Complete Nonsense.