Recently, prompted by a very whiffy truck ahead of us, my daughter and I passed a most enjoyable half-hour brainstorming all the smells we love and hate. Some we agreed upon. Others we did not. Still, we both agreed that smells add richness to life.
The lists we compiled serve as fragrant and stinky reminders that kids LOVE the idea of SMELLINESS and that, as a picture book author, I need to remember my readers noses. Take a whiff (rather than a peek) at our lists below. What would you add?
Our List of FAVORITE SMELLS… coffee percolating, puppy ears, strawberries, asphalt after a summer rain, salty sea air, damp earth, pizza in the oven, a clean baby, skunk (faint), lilacs in bloom, a crackling fire, candle smoke, newly mown grass, bubble gum, spring, balsam needles, hamburgers on the grill, freshly laundered sheets, pumpkin pie, impending snow, herbs snipped from the garden, freshly sharpened pencils, old books, freshly polished wood, crayons, bacon sizzling, rubber boots, spent matches, peppermints, perfume, vanilla, honeysuckle, clover, brownies baking, mountain air, waxed hallways, leather, curry, onions sautéing, cedar chests, roses, hay, apple pie in the oven, soup simmering, new sneakers.
Our List of STINKY SMELLS… hot tar, mucky marshes, skunk (strong), cigar smoke, bus fumes, sour wash clothes, new mulch, dirty diapers, rotten eggs, doggy doo, butt snorts (as we call them in our family), clammy feet, stinky socks, wet wool, moldy cheese, manure, chicken coops, summer garbage cans, nail polish, sweaty armpits, old melon rind, gym lockers, dank cellars
A hint of odor, skillfully incorporated, can be a powerful addition a story. Indeed, I repeatedly hear from parents everywhere that their kids favorite spread of all in GOODNIGHT, ARK is the one in which two creatures, who shall remain nameless, make a BIG stink!
What whiffy addition will you add to your WIP this week?
Happy writing!
Laura Sassi Tales 
Great idea to keep a sense of smell in our stories!
THANKS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Great lists. I would definitely add gingerbread men baking to the good smell list. And a new doll – which is probably similar to the new sneakers…. 🙂
Oh, yes, I LOVE your additions. The new doll mention is bringing back memories! Good one!
I’m surprised that the smell of bread baking or popcorn popping didn’t make your list of favorites! I’m also surprised that faint skunk DID!
Ooh, I love those too! I thought others might like the faint smell of skunk, too. No? Doesn’t it remind you of the rustic outdoors? Pungent, yet fresh, in the distance? =)
What a great list! The memories that smells evoke are so powerful. Jasmine, orange blossoms, steaming samosas, cardamom!!! YUMMMM! All my books have way too much food in them.
Smells and light are both so evocative. {There is also a subjective aspect: am I the only person who does not find skunk spray offensive in the least? 😛 }
You and my son. =) I like faint “eau de skunk”.