OSCAR AND THE AWFUL, HORRIBLE SMELL

A mysterious and terrible odor spoils a berry-picking troll’s peaceful day in the woods in Cetas’ picture book.

Young children who find the mention of stinky smells hilarious should get a giggle out of this tale of a troll named Oscar who’s mystified by a stench wafting through his forest. Before discovering the surprising source, Oscar follows his nose to a mushroom patch, a wolverine den, a trout pond, fresh moose dung, and more. The author successfully builds momentum and invites reader participation through an increasingly long list of odor-related adjectives: A “stinky smell” eventually becomes an “awful, horrible, rotten, putrid, terrible, nasty, stinky smell.” For added emphasis, select words are enlarged and italicized, and Oscar’s reactions (such as “ick!!!” and “yuck!!!!”) are hand-drawn in various colors at different angles. The silliness is skillfully crafted despite a few errors: barred instead of bared and “very sensitive smell” instead of “very sensitive sense of smell.” The text-enhancing quality of Kose’s whimsical, full-page watercolor illustrations gives the book an edge over similar titles. Comical Oscar, in two-button overalls, has a huge nose and goofy, toothy grin; the stench’s cartoony origin will satisfy the target audience, and a background palette of soft greens, blues, and browns provides contrast, sprinkled with details for readers to discover.

A lively, humorous narrative enhanced by charming illustrations.