Do any of you remember The Stinky Cheese Man and Other Fairly Stupid Tales? How about The True Story of the 3 Little Pigs?

My teacher read both in elementary school, and they quickly became class favorites. And it never really hit me then, but the best part was that everyone -- boys and girls alike -- agreed that they were just plain funny.

So I guess it wasn't too surprising to find that the mastermind behind Guys Read, a literacy program decided for both young and older boys, was author Jon Scieszka himself.

Maybe today's grown men are a lost cause for reading, but Scieszka is here to make sure that we don't lose another generation of potential readers. So if there's a boy in your life who needs a little guidance in the book department, I suggest you check out the Guys Read site for suggested readings, such as The Adventures of Sparrowboy, Bunnicula and Ender's Game.

There's also a list of authors, titled "People who Inspire Guys to Read," including Avi, Tom Clancy, S.E. Hinton and Shel Silverstein.

I'm just going to ignore the fact that I find those authors to be gender-neutral, and celebrate the fact that Scieszka has taken the time to put this comprehensive list together in the first place.

So ladies AND gentlemen: Get reading!

(Baltimore Sun photo)