GENRE: Humor, STEM/STEAM, Informational Fiction
WORDS: 570
Query:
Dear Judge, Agent, and Editor,
I am excited to invite you to the first ever Smell-ympics!
In my informational picture book, WHO NOSE BEST, animals known for their ability to smell try to snort and snuffle their way to the gold medal. When a girl joins the competition, these scentsational smellers turn up their noses. Until she introduces a uniquely human element that expands their sense of what makes smelling so special.
WHO NOSE BEST is a fun read-aloud that will appeal to sports fans—just in time for the 2028 LA Olympics. With additional appeal to readers looking for STEAM and silliness, it could potentially be reformatted as a graphic novel or hybrid. WHO NOSE BEST combines the competitive set-up and series potential of Battle of the Butts (Running Press Kids, 2021) with the endearing, pun-filled ensemble of Pluto Gets the Call (Beach Lane Books, 2019).
I have an MFA in Fiction from Sarah Lawrence College and was selected by the creators of ZOMBIES DON’T EAT VEGGIES for a mentorship through #PBChat. A former bookstore manager and literary agency intern, I am the Acquiring Editor and a member of the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee at Cardinal Rule Press. I provide freelance editorial services and regularly present at SCBWI chapter events and writing conferences. I have several additional manuscripts that I would be happy to share with you at your convenience.
Thank you for your time and consideration. I look forward to hearing your thoughts!
Excerpt:
This is Hawk Hawkins coming to you live from the first ever Smell-ympics.
The animal kingdom’s top smellers are hoping to sniff, snort, and snuffle their way to the title of World’s Best Smeller.
Let’s check in with our athletes.
Shark, do you have anything to share with our viewers?
[SHARK] I can smell a drop of blood a mile away.
And right now? Sniff sniff…I smell victory!
What inspired you to write this story & what do you have in common with it:
One spring morning after an evening rain, I was walking my son to school in our Brooklyn, New York neighborhood, when he said, “It smells like Bethesda.” Meaning Maryland, where his grandparents live. We had a wonderful conversation about smell and memory that left me thinking about the associations he was forming and would carry with him through life, marveling at the smells of my childhood that I carry with me, then, naturally, wondering about what it must be like for animals!
Leave a Reply