Children’s author Margaret Hyde always was attracted to scented items, so when she came up with an idea about a dog smelling colors, it was a natural to add actual scents to the book. Hyde wrote a series of six books, beginning with Mo Smells Red. Her latest is Mo Smells Pink, in which the dog, Mo, smells pink grapefruit bubble bath and pink peppermint ice cream, among other pink things.

She wanted to use scents that would be safe and hypoallergenic for children, and she settled on essential oils. The oils are dispersed in a “Press 2 Smell” technology developed by Hyde that holds the scent until pressed. Each scent can be pressed up to 150,000 times.

Hyde published the books herself because she didn’t think that any established publishing company would have taken a chance on the concept. The books have sold over 25,000 copies and have won multiple Moonbeam Children’s Book Awards.

In addition to the general children’s market, the books have had a great reception from learning disabled and autistic children. Research has shown that they react very positively to multi-sensory experiences and are able to learn better when more senses are used.