Stinky Owl

Mom’s Choice Award
Creative Child Magazine Preferred Choice Award
Paris Book Festival Honorable Mention
San Francisco Book Festival Honorable Mention

This book was inspired by the birds of prey at the Rocky Gap State Park Aviary. At the time this book was written, all of the birds of the Aviary were included.

Although it is portrayed in this story that the birds could smell Stinky Owl, most birds of prey, particularly with the Great Horned Owl, do not have a sense of smell. The author disregarded that fact for the purpose of storytelling.

The Aviary at Rocky Gap State Park houses and cares for birds of prey that have been injured or impacted in some way that makes them unable to survive in the wild. The birds are ambassadors in a Statewide Environmental Education Program called “Scales & Tales”, with a three-fold mission: “Scales & Tales” encourages an appreciation for the splendor and diversity of Maryland’s Wildlife, promotes an understanding of the relationship between man and wildlife and the habitat they share, and encourages people to visit state forests and parks to further explore that relationship.

The scenery illustrations in this book were drawn from different locations around Rocky Gap State Park, including the Indian Trail Marker Tree. Rocky Gap State Park has not substantiated that several trees were used in this way but the age of the trees suggest that it was indeed possible.