Stinky
Eleanor Davis

Stinky doesn’t like kids.  After all, what do monsters and kids really have in common.  Monsters like living in the muckiest part of the swamp, and they like eating pickled onions and having pet toads.  Kids like taking baths, and eating apples and cake.  Stinky just doesn’t see how kids and monsters could possibly get along.  When Nick decides to build a tree house near the swamp where Stinky lives, Stinky decides that he needs to scare Nick away.  When Nick doesn’t get scared off by any of Stinky’s plans, Stinky starts to wonder if maybe kids aren’t as bad as he thought.

Stinky is a fun story for kids with a nice message.  You have to actually get to know someone, you can’t just decide you don’t like them without getting to know them.  Plus, being that the book reads more like a comic book than a traditional book, this will appeal to kids who are reluctant readers.

The general idea behind the story itself is that Stinky just assumes that he knows what all kids are like.  He assumes that because kids aren’t like him on the outside, and that kids eat different foods than he does, that he won’t like them.  Likewise, he believes that kids won’t like him because he’s different.  Then, as the story progresses, he learns that not all kids are the same.  He even does something nice for Nick, which helps him decide that maybe kids really aren’t that bad.  Of course, this all plays into the message of getting to know someone before you pass judgement on them.

There really aren’t many characters in the story, but there really don’t need to be.  The story works well with concentrating on Stinky and Nick.  Both characters are well developed, and the readers is left being able to feel happy when both likeable characters end up happy in the end.  The only other character to speak of in the story is Stinky’s pet frog, Wartbelly.  Wartbelly is cute and serves as the first way to scare off Nick, who decides to rename her Daisy. 

The artwork in the book is in true comic book style, and it accompanies the story rather well.  It does not come off as childish, but rather something that slightly older, possibly middle grade readers, would like because it does look more like a comic book.  Plus, it is fun seeing the loveably un-cute Stinky in full color, as he should be.

 Stinky is a fun story with a good message.  I could see it as slightly more appealing to boys than girls, but I think either one could find the book enjoyable.  This would be a great book for any reluctant reader, as the nice story, fun pictures and light text make the book less daunting.