Princess Peabody and the Stinky Cheese Comes to Life

I love, love, love Susanna Hill's contests. But what do I love more than her writing contests? Her illustration contests.. because I don't even have to enter!  Ahh, that's a relief. No revising my fingers to the bone to meet her itty bitty word limits and chocolate-induced constraints. Thankfully, I love revising. *wink, wink*

No, the best part is actually getting to see my story The Princess and the Stinky Cheese come to life at the hands of amazing artists. (And all the finalists' stories too - a total of 42 illustrators participated!)

I have learned so much watching this contest unfold. How critical it is to inspire illustration without dictating it. The importance of smart details. The amazing number of ways artists can demonstrate the stinkiness of cheese!

Each artist took a unique approach to the story. Each one found a detail to add to enhance the story and to make it their own. Thank you Susanna for hosting and to each of the artists who participated.

I thought it would be fun to see the story and all the different illustrations in one place. Hold on to your noses... 

By Catherine Constance
(used with permission)

The Princess and the Stinky Cheese

By Lauri C Meyers

"If you don't find a princess to marry soon," the Queen said, "I'll be forced to give the crown to the dog."

"Mother, your ridiculous "true princess" tests are the problem," Prince Plumbottom whined. "Let's see. Merida didn't feel the grain of rice in her pillow."

"Snored like a bear."

By Coleen Patrick
(used with permission)

"Fiona couldn't taste donkey snot in her soup."

"Gobbled it down like a dragon."

"Even if a princess passed your test," Prince Plumbottom said, "Princesses are so boring. I want to marry a daring lass!"

"Very well, son. We will look for a true princess who is also daring. I know just the right test."

"Here comes a girl now, and she has a branch in her hair!" he clapped his hands. "This young woman has had an adventure." The prince skipped over to the soaking wet maiden.  

By Grace Woodall
(used with permission)

"Hello, I'm Prince Plumbottom."

"Hello, I'm Princess Peabody," she said. "I was tracking a rattlesnake, but I fell into the river and now I'm quite lost."

"A rattlesnake? How daring!" the prince squealed. "Won't you join us for lunch?"

Princess Peabody wiped her muddy face with a napkin. She was about to blow her nose, but stopped when she heard the Queen whisper "Stinky Cheese Test" to the prince. She had heard of queens like this.  

By Telaina Muir
(used with permission)

"Cheese, dear?" the Queen asked.

"Oh, it's a lovely green," Princess Peabody said. "But it's not nearly stinky enough."

The prince beamed.

The Queen thumped on the table. "Cook! Bring the stinkier cheese!"

The cook held a handkerchief over her nose and presented the stinkier cheese.

By Heather Dent
(used with permission)

"Yummy. It smells like an ogre's shoe," the princess said. "But my Kingdom has much stinkier cheese."

The Queen's face turned red. "Guards! Find the stinkiest cheese in the land!"

The knights returned with a metal trunk which smelled like a dragon's armpit.

"Open it!" the Queen commanded.

By Joanne Roberts
(used with permission)

The knights closed their armor masks and reached with a sword to open the chest.  The stench was so horrific, so terrible, so ... stinky that everyone fainted.

Everyone except Princess Peabody.

She fed the stinky cheese to the royal dog who didn't mind the smell at all. Then she blew her nose, finally clearing it of river mud.

The Queen came to and saw the empty cheese plate. "A true princess!"

Prince Plumbottom declared, "A daring princess!"

"Burp!" The dog agreed. And they all lived stinkily ever after. 

By Sallianne Norelli
(used with permission)

**There are two more great illustrations by Ellen Injerd and Laura Miller which I will post too if I get their okay...but you can see them by clicking on the links!**