"Qui-i-i-i-e-t!"

    The owl was growing impatient. He was about to make an important announcement, but how could he be heard by the throng of forest animals when the wolves were busy howling at the moon? A harvest moon provides great lighting for a midnight meeting, thought the owl, but unfortunately it also turns the wolves into loudmouths.

    Nearly every animal was in attendance. It wasn't often that fish and fowl, horse and hare, turtle and toad all got together. This was a special night.

    "I've called everyone together," began the owl, "to announce a competition of sorts. As you know, there have been many claims over the years as to who is the most beautiful animal of all. Well, it's time for the boasting to end. As the wisest animal among you, I have decided we should hold a beauty pageant to see once and for all who is the most beautiful animal in our fair community. All of you may enter. I'll be the judge."

    Immediately, the crowd was abuzz--and not just the honeybees flying home from their long day in the fields. This was going to be fun.

    "I'm sure I'll win," said the peacock, who was never known for modesty.

    "Just wait till the owl sees me in my stylish fur," chimed in the mink. "It's so chic!"

    The colorful flamingo might also win, or the graceful swan.

    "But nobody has beautiful stripes like mine," the zebra bragged.

    "Oh, if I could just lose 200 pounds... " dreamed a nearby hippo.

    Just then Wendy the Warthog spoke up. "You know, I may just enter myself," the pig remarked.

    "Ha!" chided the badger. "Next to you, Wendy, the baboon might even stand a chance."

    Now badgers have never been known to be an agreeable sort. In fact, they're downright obnoxious! Always quick with an insult, they are bothersome and probably the most unpopular animals in the forest. They can get under your skin, even the thick hide of a warthog!

    And Wendy was an easy target for the badger's barbs, for warthogs aren't the most physically attractive creatures. They have broad flat snouts, large incurved tusks, warts on their cheeks between the eyes and tusks, and hair all over their bodies. The tusks, in particular, were subject to the badger's ridicule.

    "Hey, Wendy! Go see a dentist. You need braces!" cracked the boorish badger.

    "I'm beautiful. I know I am," Wendy asserted. "You'll see. I'm going to win this pageant!"

    "Yeah, maybe if a plague wipes out the rest of the animals," the badger shot back.

    The beaver waddled by on her way back to the river, and the leopard, being a curious cat, asked if she was entering the contest. "Not I, I'm much too busy," replied the beaver. "Can't you see I've got all of these trees to clear?"

    In private, many animals worried that the beaver worked too hard.

    "If you don't slow down, there will be no forest left. All of the trees will be gone," warned the otter. "All work and no play makes beaver a dull boy. Take it from me. I have fun all day swimming and sliding down the river bank. You should join me some time."

    "No time for that," said the beaver. "I must be on my way."

    Wendy was determined to look her best for the pageant and prove that badger wrong. First, she'd have to slim down and get in better shape. And that meant exercise. So the next day, she arranged to meet two cheetahs for an early morning run. If she could keep up with them she was bound to get in shape.

    The next morning, at precisely seven o’clock, the cheetahs met Wendy on the edge of the forest where the trees opened up to grassland. The cats usually ran three miles before breakfast as a warm-up to their day.

    Wouldn't you know it? The badger showed up too. It seemed like he was there just to needle Wendy. What a pain in the neck!

    "Heh, Wendy, I've seen better legs on a piano," the badger joked.

    Wendy tried to ignore the comment and stepped up to the starting line with the cheetahs. "Thank you for kindly allowing me to work out with you," said Wendy. "I hope I don't slow you down."

    "We'll set the pace," said one of the cheetahs. "It's just a leisurely run."

    On your mark! Get set! Go! Wendy barely had time to look up and move her chubby legs before the cheetahs were clear out of sight.

    "How does their dust taste?" the badger teased.

    Wendy never caught a glimpse of the cheetahs after that, but she managed to complete a mile before collapsing in exhaustion. As she lie gasping for air, the badger waddled over to offer more abuse. "Congratulations! You just ran a one-hour mile. Maybe tomorrow you should train with the snail--if he's not too fast for you."

    “Well,” thought the warthog, “you can't get in shape overnight. Besides, there are other things to do before the beauty pageant--like soften my tough hide.”

    Wendy needed advice on skin care but didn't know who to turn to. She consulted the owl; he was usually great for advice. But the owl recommended that she go see the frog, of all creatures.

    "Think about it," said the owl. "The frog spends all day in the water, but his skin is still soft and smooth. Who better to give you tips on skin care?"

    It was worth a try! Wendy ambled down to the pond and met the frog. "You need a soothing mud bath," advised the amphibian. "It works wonders for the skin."

    The next day Wendy spent all morning at the pond packed in mud. She found her own spa, of sorts, over by the cattails. But any thought of a relaxing time ended when the badger tracked her down.

    "The pig's in mud! The pig’s in mud!" announced the pest for all animals to hear.

    Obviously, the badger isn't up on the latest European beauty treatments, thought Wendy. She just wished the little varmint would go back into his hole and get out of her hair.

    "Hey, Wendy, why don't you leave the mud on for the pageant? It might improve your looks," needled the badger in a parting shot.

    With only one day remaining before the big event, Wendy went to see the lion for some finishing touches. The lion was widely admired for his lovely mane; maybe he could offer some tips on hair care.

    When the lion caught a glimpse of Wendy he blurted out, "Your hairstyle went out twenty years ago." He was known for his frank opinions. "You'd look better in a shorter cut or even cornrows."

    Wendy wasn't sure, so she finally settled on a shag cut. Of course, when the badger got a load of the new hairdo he had to throw out his opinion. "It looks like somebody put a mop on your head."

    When the day of the beauty pageant finally arrived Wendy saw that the competition would be fierce. The proud peacock was already strutting past the judge with feathers fully spread while the powerful elk posed majestically, antlers high. And the zebra arrived with her stripes looking better than ever. Birds by the dozens flew in to show off their plumage.

    Wendy needed to catch the owl's attention so she decided to do something special: she paraded before the judge wearing a red bikini. Unfortunately, this didn't exactly draw the response Wendy expected.

    The animals all roared with laughter. The hyenas, in particular, were rolling on the ground, unable to contain themselves. A warthog in a bikini! Quick! Someone get a camera!

    All this ridicule made Wendy want to just disappear. At least the badger's not here to make things worse, she thought to herself, trying to find some comfort in the situation. Just then a parrot flew up with an urgent message. "Come quick! The badger is trapped in his den," blurted out the bird. "One of the trees the beaver cut down fell right over his hole. He'll suffocate!"

    The other animals couldn't have cared less. They all viewed the badger as a nuisance and weren't about to save him.

    "Let him die," coldly declared the bear.

    "I say good riddance. No one will miss him," the fox remarked.

    "I can't be bothered. It's almost time for my nap," said the lion, breaking into a yawn.

    If anyone had good reason to dislike the badger it was Wendy. But she couldn't just stand there and let him die. Besides, this was a way to make a graceful exit from the beauty pageant embarrassment. So Wendy raced down to the badger's den where she found a huge oak tree sealing the entrance.

    Badgers are known as great diggers, but it would have taken a steam shovel to get out of this one. The fallen tree had cut off all daylight over the hole. The trapped badger wouldn't even know which direction to dig. He was in big trouble!

    But Wendy had an idea. She lowered her long tusks underneath the tree and used them as a lever to lift it. With all her might she raised the tree a few inches off of the ground, just enough to push it over so the badger could scramble out of his den.

    "Bless you! You saved my life!" cried the badger, hardly noticing that Wendy was wearing a bikini.

    "What was that suggestion you had about me going to see a dentist?" Wendy asked.

    The badger looked around and realized that the warthog was the only animal that had come to his rescue. "I was terribly wrong, Wendy," he said apologetically. "You are truly the most beautiful animal in the forest."

    The owl agreed. When the parrot told him about Wendy's caring deed, he immediately named the warthog the winner of the forest beauty pageant.

    Wendy smiled a toothy grin. She knew all along that she was beautiful.

    Bob Moseley has been a professional writer and editor with newspapers and magazines for 25 years, in which time he's been honored with New England writing awards from Associated Press and UPI. He's had stories printed in The New York Times and Sports Illustrated. This is his first attempt at a children's book. "I've written mostly sports, and I wanted to try something different," Moseley says. "I wanted to combine my love of animals and nature with a message to kids."

1. Visual impressions. Each line offers numerous mental images as we watch animals at their best-and at their worst. A children’s book publisher could easily create lively illustrations to fit this fine story.

2. Playfulness. Young readers love silly situations, and this author offers many playful scenes and attitudes. Additionally, adults reading this story to children will enjoy these same references, making it a favorite book for both parents and their children.

3. Tension. Every reader enjoys the “what will happen next” feeling that comes from a strong plot. This story certainly has us turning pages to discover the outcome as Wendy tries to win this seemingly impossible competition. Which brings us to…

4. Beating the odds. We all root for the underdog, even if it is a warthog! A memorable-and satisfying-character is one who actively makes decisions and takes action to meet his goals. Wendy is proactive in every scene as she fights the odds. . . and beats them!

5. Deeper insight. One may call it a lesson learned or a moral or an internal conflict. But no matter what you call it, readers appreciate a story in which the ending reflects something deeper than just achieving an exterior goal. If Wendy had simply wowed the judge by wearing her red bikini and won the pageant this story would have lost the most important prize-the reader’s sense of satisfaction. By letting Wendy win because of a deeper, more significant reason everyone won. Wendy won her ribbon, the author won our First Place in Stories for Children, and readers were rewarded with a memorable story.