The Boy Who Could Smell Warming: A Powerful Illustrated Children’s Story of Climate Awareness, Hope, and Heroism

(YorkPedia Editorial):- Portland, Oregon May 27, 2026 (Issuewire.com) – A Child’s Nose, a Planet’s Future

Award-winning author and retired psychotherapist Patrick Fleming introduces young readers to one of the most original and timely children’s book characters in recent memory: Reuben Otis O’Brien, a ten-year-old who can smell something no one else can and whose extraordinary gift may just help save the world.

The Boy Who Could Smell Warming is a joyful, thought-provoking illustrated children’s book that weaves together themes of climate awareness, self-discovery, scientific curiosity, and the transformative power of believing in yourself. It is a story for children who have ever felt different, and for the adults who love them.

About the Book

There was always something exceptional about Reuben Otis O’Brien but no one, including Reuben Otis himself, can figure out quite what it is. All he knows is that he can smell something very strange that no one else can, and sometimes it makes him sick.

A self-described “nerd in a cool guy’s body,” Reuben Otis sets out on a scientific investigation to discover the nature and purpose of his unusual ability. With the support of his family and two neighbourhood friends, he gradually uncovers a superpower that proves vital not just to his hometown, but to the entire planet.

What begins as a mystery becomes a mission: a story of a young boy stepping into his potential, finding his place in the world, and discovering that what makes him different is precisely what makes him extraordinary. The Boy Who Could Smell Warming is a story that gives children a newfound pride in their own unique gifts and a hopeful vision of the role they can play in caring for Planet Earth.

About the Author

Patrick Fleming is a retired psychotherapist, international speaker, consultant, and award-winning author with a career spanning self-help and fiction. His most recent non-fiction work, Soul Light for the Dark Night: Daily Meditations of Healing from Trauma and Abuse, reflects his deep commitment to emotional healing and the human spirit.

A lifelong reverence for the natural world has driven much of Fleming’s creative work. His adult cli-fi fantasy/thriller Gaia’s Revenge explores the consequences of environmental inaction, and it was this passion combined with a desire to speak directly to the generation who will inherit the Earth that inspired The Boy Who Could Smell Warming.

Fleming’s other published works include Miriam the Christmas Cow, a beloved illustrated children’s tale about the first Christmas, and its Spanish-language edition La Vaca Miriam y la Navidad. He lives outside St. Louis, Missouri, with his wife Sue, surrounded by forests, flowers, deer, birds, fox, turkey, and great human neighbours. Together they share ten grandchildren and, as of this writing, three-and-a-half great-grandchildren.

The Inspiration Behind the Story

Fleming has long held a deep reverence for the natural world. As concern about global warming grew, he channelled that passion first into Gaia’s Revenge, a novel for adults and then felt called to write something for children, who will face the real consequences of today’s environmental choices.

“The core concept of Reuben Otis’ special superpower — of smelling what is happening in his environment — one day just came to me out of the blue, from somewhere else, from someplace beyond me,” Fleming says. “I can’t explain it any better than that.”

A Message to Young Readers

“Believe that you also have some special gift that will change your life and the world, and go discover it. Also, nurture the hope that you can help to shape the future of our home — this great Planet Earth.”

Media Appearances

— Radio Monocle — London, UK

— Vision Radio Australia — Australia

— The Spotlight Network with Logan Crawford

Availability

The Boy Who Could Smell Warming is now available for purchase on Amazon:
https://www.amazon.com/Boy-Who-Could-Smell-Warming-ebook/dp/B0DCM1LW76

For more information about the author, visit:
https://doublerainbowbooks.com/