One morning, upon awakening, Elliot’s nose detects “a most terrible smell.” A search for the source commences. There’s nothing stinky hiding under his bed. There doesn’t seem to be a skunk in the neighborhood. It’s not his hamster, his bird, or his dad. At breakfast, Elliot is so busy searching that he ignores his mother’s admonishment (“Not one more day in that costume, Elliot!”) and continues sniffing various human and animal members of the family. It isn’t until Elliot’s mother insists he remove his skeleton costume and take a bath that Elliot realizes what readers have known all along: He is the source of the smell. Detailed illustrations show a large, slightly hectic family home and evidence of a recently celebrated Halloween. Readers who have a leg up on Elliot will laugh at his humorous thought process and total bewilderment. (Ages 3–7)

Elliot wakes up one morning to the most terrible smell. But what could it be? Find out in this gentle introduction to hygiene that’s stinkin’ adorable!

One morning, Elliot wakes up and smells something awful.
Is it the trash? No…
The dog? No…
Dad?
His sister?
The baby?
Grandma’s famous gerfartzenschanffel? No, no, no, and no!

Elliot searches high and low for the something that smells, but he just can’t find it, and it’s driving him and his nostrils crazy. Almost as bad, now his mother wants him to take a bath, which means taking off his super cool skeleton costume that he’s been wearing since Halloween! The funny thing is, after Elliot finishes his bath and Mom puts his costume in the wash, something doesn’t smell anymore…