Mr. Stinkas and the Little Cheese Shop: A Review

One has to admire a person who is passionate about not only bringing his book to children everywhere, but about donating a portion of all proceeds to charity. , Royersford native and author of "Mr. Stinkas and the Little Cheese Shop", should be applauded for this endeavor.

This is truly a family effort in every sense of the word. While Rebbie conceived of the book, his wife, Monica, was adamant that charitable contributions needed to be made with the proceeds. Now, The Andrew McDonough B+ Foundation, The Philadelphia Veterans Multi-Service & Education Center, Inc., and the Children’s Miracle Network (raising funds for CHOP) will each receive fifty cents from every book sold. In addition, Rebbie’s daughter, Laura Bluett, is the illustrator of the book.

The book was written every weekend at the , with the business side done at . I couldn’t help thinking of the legendary story of J.K. Rowling writing “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone” at a small café in England. Maybe Rebbie is onto something!

While quite an expensive children’s book at $23.95 (paperback), the buyer not only helps the above charities, but also gets a CD. I would advise listening to the CD first as you read the book, as there are sound effects you can make. Hint: The words “cut” and “cheese” usually begin the sound effect lines.

This is the story of a village named Fog Free. The town has this name because, while the outskirts of the town are constantly foggy, the fog never ventures inward. People gather every day at the cheese shop of Mr. Stinkas. As the townspeople place their orders, Mr. Stinkas gets ready to cut his cheese wheel. Because the smell is so bad, they wait outside while he does so, then come back in to get their orders.

When the shop closes, Mr. Stinkas finds himself without friends with nowhere to go but home. People do not want to associate with someone who “cuts the cheese.” His dog, Old Bleu, is the only one waiting for him at home.

The next day, Mr. Stinkas finds that the fog has mysteriously drifted into the village. He goes to the village where the townspeople are perplexed. How will they ever get the fog back where it belongs? Who will save the day? Will they ever think of Mr. Stinkas as a friend or just someone who “cuts the cheese?”

“Mr. Stinkas and the Little Cheese Shop” is not for everyone (parents who do not want their children going around making “cut the cheese” noises, for one); however, it is a fun book. Boys ages 5-10 would love it.

It also needs to be edited more thoroughly. There are times when the rhyme scheme is knocked for a loop. There needs to be consistent spelling throughout, particularly with the cheese shop owner’s dog being spelled “Old Bleu” for some pages and “Old Blue” for others.

This book has a lot of heart and is creatively done. Royersford should be proud of Kevin Rebbie.