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The Stupids #3
The Stupids Die
The Stupid family thinks they are dead when the lights go out.
32 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1981
3 people are currently reading
166 people want to read
About the author
Harry Allard
39 books84 followersHarry Allard was an American writer of children's books. Many of his books have received awards; a few have also been banned and challenged in the United States.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 87 reviews
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May 22, 2009“That’s the only thing I truly envy Jim for,” Sendak laments. “Deep envy. I think The Stupids Die is the best title ever. I can’t forgive him for having that title. I used to tell him that. I bought the original poster for the book, and it hangs in one of my rooms.”
http://www.bookpage.com/9905bp/mauric...
http://www.bookpage.com/9905bp/mauric...
March 26, 2013
When Bela came home from school one day in first grade, she said that a boy got in trouble for saying the 's' word. We asked, "Which s-word'?" Stupid! was the reply. Some strange cultural undercurrent made this word into a no-no in primary education in the 1990s and this book was and is still the antidote. When will teachers and parents learn that making a word into a tabu only makes it all the more enticing to use on the sly?
This book is the perfect antidote! But the story is only part of it. It's the way James Marshall adds subtext to the story with the illustrations that makes it interesting reading. The paintings on the walls, the looks on the faces of the dog and cat--all part of an overall mix of complementary and counterpoint illustration.
I've loved this series since I found a used copy of #2 at a library sale in Michigan in the 1990s (the dust jacket and cover illustration were missing, but the hard cover was embossed with a drawing of a chicken labeled 'cow').
This book is the perfect antidote! But the story is only part of it. It's the way James Marshall adds subtext to the story with the illustrations that makes it interesting reading. The paintings on the walls, the looks on the faces of the dog and cat--all part of an overall mix of complementary and counterpoint illustration.
I've loved this series since I found a used copy of #2 at a library sale in Michigan in the 1990s (the dust jacket and cover illustration were missing, but the hard cover was embossed with a drawing of a chicken labeled 'cow').
February 16, 2016
my favorite part was when they thought they were dead, 2nd favorite when mrs stupid tied a bunch of chickens to her body instead of putting on clothing
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 14, 2020
I will try to like this book, and the whole stupid series, because I know my husband enjoyed them as a child and I predict my son will get a kick out of them once he is old enough to understand what the word "stupid" means. However, I am in no hurry to teach him how to use the word "stupid," and as an adult woman I find this book sophomoric rather than entertaining, so for now it sits on the shelf.
ETA December 2020: The kids and I were clearing out old books today to make room for Christmas gifts and I re-read this one. I'm adding it to our giveaway pile. It's just not really my style, and although I thought maybe the kids would get a kick out of it once they were older S never really cared for it and is now too old for it, and L told me she has no interest in reading it (and I'm not holding on to it for another few years on the off chance F may like it some day; she has plenty of books!)
ETA December 2020: The kids and I were clearing out old books today to make room for Christmas gifts and I re-read this one. I'm adding it to our giveaway pile. It's just not really my style, and although I thought maybe the kids would get a kick out of it once they were older S never really cared for it and is now too old for it, and L told me she has no interest in reading it (and I'm not holding on to it for another few years on the off chance F may like it some day; she has plenty of books!)
April 19, 2015
I thought the book was ok because it's all little funny but in the same time annoying.
May 25, 2017
so funny book! they eat
breakfast in shower, mr stupid said my egg is runny!!!!!!
breakfast in shower, mr stupid said my egg is runny!!!!!!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 1, 2018
Oh wow...wow...this is painful in all new ways....
So, I read this book because of its place on the ALA's most-frequently challenged books list. I'm big on maintaining library collections in the face of those who would demand books be removed due to some perceived slight. This doesn't mean always buying new copies--some of the books are, in themselves--not very good. But it means not allowing small groups to determine what society as a whole can read.
The Stupids are way up there on the challenged list, and, in a modern sense, I can see the issue. "Stupid," historically, has worse connotations than just "not smart." It was used for those with severe mental impairments, and has since become half-recognized as a slur. Kids are taught not to use the word, and even adults are reprimanded for saying something which could be so potentially harmful.
The book itself...it's just kind of annoying. It's just a series of mistakes the family makes, including thinking they're dead during a power outage. Kids would probably find it funny, but I think mainly because the person reading would be saying a "naughty" word.
So, my stance remains: I believe in intellectual freedom and would fight to keep this book on the shelves where it is already stocked. However, just on the quality of the book itself, I would feel no need to purchase a new copy. It's not a very good book, and I could spend my money well elsewhere.
So, I read this book because of its place on the ALA's most-frequently challenged books list. I'm big on maintaining library collections in the face of those who would demand books be removed due to some perceived slight. This doesn't mean always buying new copies--some of the books are, in themselves--not very good. But it means not allowing small groups to determine what society as a whole can read.
The Stupids are way up there on the challenged list, and, in a modern sense, I can see the issue. "Stupid," historically, has worse connotations than just "not smart." It was used for those with severe mental impairments, and has since become half-recognized as a slur. Kids are taught not to use the word, and even adults are reprimanded for saying something which could be so potentially harmful.
The book itself...it's just kind of annoying. It's just a series of mistakes the family makes, including thinking they're dead during a power outage. Kids would probably find it funny, but I think mainly because the person reading would be saying a "naughty" word.
So, my stance remains: I believe in intellectual freedom and would fight to keep this book on the shelves where it is already stocked. However, just on the quality of the book itself, I would feel no need to purchase a new copy. It's not a very good book, and I could spend my money well elsewhere.
January 26, 2010
This is a very funny book, quite probably the funniest in the series about The Stupids, I'd say. The Stupids Die is a book that seems to have been written purely for its entertainment value, as is the case with the other three books, but something about the presentation of the comedy in the series always serves to charm me. Even if I don't love these stories I certainly like them, and a part of me is sad that we have likely seen the last adventure of this unique family.
November 26, 2011
I think this is a Stupid book. In fact, I'm absolutely correct.
I like the second book the best so far, but I still have to read book four. Actually, I thought there was only 3 books because by the title, it sounded like this was the end of the Stupid Family.
Even though The Stupids Die is my least favorite of the Stupid series so far, it is my favorite Stupid title of the series :-)
I like the second book the best so far, but I still have to read book four. Actually, I thought there was only 3 books because by the title, it sounded like this was the end of the Stupid Family.
Even though The Stupids Die is my least favorite of the Stupid series so far, it is my favorite Stupid title of the series :-)
May 8, 2010
I like Children's books that are humorous and weird and The Stupids fits into both of those categories. In 'The Stupids Die', the power goes out in their home and the Stupids assume that perhaps they have passed on. LOLtastic for older elementary school kids.
September 10, 2014
This book is really hilarious. I really liked it. The Stupids Die talks about a very very odd family who always wish something stupid would happen every single day. The best part was the end, I think you should read it!
February 6, 2009
Hysterically funny.
September 10, 2014
it was weird what the people did in the book but it was a funny book i liked it
September 10, 2014
so funny and they had the stupidest family ever but the grandmas is some how smart
September 10, 2014
i thought it was funny but it rushed the ending to much and it was more silly than funny.yet i still enjoyed it all though it is not my favorite.
September 10, 2014
I really liked this book.This book is all about one STUPID family that didnt think right.The humans slept under the bed and the animals slept on top.The STUPID family thought that it wasnt stupid.
December 4, 2017
If you haven't read The Stupids, then you are.
February 26, 2022
This is the greatest book ever written.
July 7, 2011
I may as well start with something stupid. Actually, four Stupids. This is not a literary picture book. There are no award stickers blocking the puffy cover images of Mr. and Mrs. Stupid and their dim children, Petunia and Buster. They gather in the living room to stare intently at the blank screen of an unplugged television. They sleep under the bed. Buster mows the rug while Petunia uses a sprinkler to water the house plants. It should come as no surprise that, when the power goes out, Mr. Stupid thinks they've died. And they mistake Cleveland for heaven. How stupid is that?!
It's the kind of book that may make adults groan, yet young readers will delight in picking up the absurdities in the text and in the illustrations. (One running gag by illustrator Marshall is the mislabelled art that hangs about the Stupids' house (e.g., a butterfly is identified as "COW"; "LAKE STUPID" is a bucket of water).
I did not know about this book until a speaker at the 2010 annual summer conference of the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators cited it in his keynote. The pages he shared generated hearty laughter. I felt like the stupid one. How had I missed this? It's not only a book, but one of a series of four. "The Stupids" even became a feature film starring Tom Arnold in the 90s. (It bombed. I blame its star.) It took me twenty-nine years, but I am no longer ignorant.
If you're in the mood for Mr. Bean or Monty Python-lite, the Stupids may even produce the giggles. Sometimes we all need to lighten up.
Read more of my reviews at http://boyzread.blogspot.com/.
It's the kind of book that may make adults groan, yet young readers will delight in picking up the absurdities in the text and in the illustrations. (One running gag by illustrator Marshall is the mislabelled art that hangs about the Stupids' house (e.g., a butterfly is identified as "COW"; "LAKE STUPID" is a bucket of water).
I did not know about this book until a speaker at the 2010 annual summer conference of the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators cited it in his keynote. The pages he shared generated hearty laughter. I felt like the stupid one. How had I missed this? It's not only a book, but one of a series of four. "The Stupids" even became a feature film starring Tom Arnold in the 90s. (It bombed. I blame its star.) It took me twenty-nine years, but I am no longer ignorant.
If you're in the mood for Mr. Bean or Monty Python-lite, the Stupids may even produce the giggles. Sometimes we all need to lighten up.
Read more of my reviews at http://boyzread.blogspot.com/.
March 14, 2013
Harry Allard, The Stupids Die (Houghton Mifflin, 1981)
I stumbled upon this, which turns out to be the third in a series, at my local library's book sale a couple of months ago and couldn't resist it based on the title. I wasn't sure it was going to end up being age-appropriate for the bean (or any kid, really) for the same reason, but it ended up being fine. My son (seventeen months) is too young to get all the cognitive disjunct here, but the early-school crowd should find it hilarious. For those of you who get the references, the actual plot of the book is a cross between Den Brysomme Mannen and the Tear Garden song “Valium”. If you don't, well, trust me on this, it's funny as all get-out and if you don't know these books—I didn't know them until now (I was a little too old for them in the early eighties, but they were off the backlist by the time I did bookstore work in '91, and haven't experienced any resurgence that I know of)—they're worth going out of your way to find. *** ½
I stumbled upon this, which turns out to be the third in a series, at my local library's book sale a couple of months ago and couldn't resist it based on the title. I wasn't sure it was going to end up being age-appropriate for the bean (or any kid, really) for the same reason, but it ended up being fine. My son (seventeen months) is too young to get all the cognitive disjunct here, but the early-school crowd should find it hilarious. For those of you who get the references, the actual plot of the book is a cross between Den Brysomme Mannen and the Tear Garden song “Valium”. If you don't, well, trust me on this, it's funny as all get-out and if you don't know these books—I didn't know them until now (I was a little too old for them in the early eighties, but they were off the backlist by the time I did bookstore work in '91, and haven't experienced any resurgence that I know of)—they're worth going out of your way to find. *** ½
July 30, 2014
I didn't really like this book too much. It's suppose to be funny, but I didn't really find it that funny. I guess it would be better for younger children, as it is intended. I think there are a few reasons why this book is on the banned list. The first being because a lot of kids now of days are taught and believe that stupid is a bad word and shouldn't be used. The word is used repeatedly in this book. Stupid is also the name of the family in the book, which implies that they are stupid. I can see parents getting upset about this. The second reason is because of the word "die" in the title and is also reference throughout the book. I can see parents having a problem with this too. I personally don't think I would have this book in my class. I didn't really like it and don't really see a reason to have it in my class. It would also depend on how the parents of my students feel about having it in the class and what the school says about having it in the class.
July 14, 2008
Here's why my Mom didn't like it:
1- Repeated use of the word Stupid (the family's last name), which is a banned word at our household.
2- They die? Even though they don't actually die, that's kind of macabre for preschoolers!
The concept is pretty funny though, in an Amelia Bedilia kind of way. They mow the rug, etc. Kids find that hilarious. But my Mom can't get past her dislike of the word Stupid.
1- Repeated use of the word Stupid (the family's last name), which is a banned word at our household.
2- They die? Even though they don't actually die, that's kind of macabre for preschoolers!
The concept is pretty funny though, in an Amelia Bedilia kind of way. They mow the rug, etc. Kids find that hilarious. But my Mom can't get past her dislike of the word Stupid.
January 5, 2013
The Stupid family lives a normal day that they believe is their last. When the power goes out the Stupids believe they have died and when their pets fix a broken fuse they believe they have arrived in Heaven.
A silly read aloud filled with illustrations with added stupid things that kids love to point out.
A silly read aloud filled with illustrations with added stupid things that kids love to point out.
October 10, 2015
This story, which is part of a series, is similar to Amelia Bedelia, but slightly more crude. Parents might object to the type of humor in the book, but young kids, especially boys, might be more attracted to it. The anticipation of what happens next, at the very least could maintain their interest. Also, it should be noted that no one actually dies.
October 23, 2015
Another story about the Stupids from Harry Allard and James Marshall. This time when the power goes out and then comes back on, the stupids think they have died and gone to heaven. I don't know that I would use this for a particular lesson or a read aloud, but I would have it in my classroom library. Students will enjoy reading about this family and how silly they are!
June 10, 2017
A very interesting title for a very interesting book... It's an older book and I could see it being used to help kids understand when saying some words is appropriate and inappropriate. The artwork is just as interesting as the rest of the book. I'd like to say its a good book, but I'm just not sure
May 15, 2008
This book is called THE STUPIDS DIE!
This book made me laugh so hard as a child that I was permanently injured, and my organs never developed properly.
P.S. Don't worry, they don't really die, so it's okay for kids, not like Bambi or something.
This book made me laugh so hard as a child that I was permanently injured, and my organs never developed properly.
P.S. Don't worry, they don't really die, so it's okay for kids, not like Bambi or something.
May 6, 2010
I really did not intend to like these "stupid" books at all. I don't like the word "stupid" and especially do not like name calling. However, my kids loved them and laughed so hard that I had to give at least 3 stars for the experience of reading the books with them.
April 20, 2013
The Stupids Die by Harry Allard, pictures by James Marshall - I always enjoyed reading The Stupids series by Harry Allard. I especially read them since they are banned books. Was happy to find at a used bookstore and purchase for my library! My son thought the book was quite the riot!
September 10, 2014
I really liked it. It was really funny, even the pictures in the background were so funny. I liked that they thought they were dead when the lights were just off. It was so funny when they acted so stupid!
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