You Think It's Easy Being the Tooth Fairy?

December 1, 2007
PreS-Gr 1-The tooth fairy begins her story by correcting misinformation about her manner of dress: "I NEVER wear pink flouncing skirts or twinkling glass slippers! That's Cinderella." To explain her go-it-alone attitude, she says: "I DON'T rely on elves to help me out or flying reindeer to get me around. That's Santa." She describes herself as athletic, graceful, self-reliant, brave, strong, and smart. She searches through dirty socks, pajama pockets, and clenched fists to gather fallen teeth while hauling around heavy quarters and avoiding common household pets. Her over-the-top confidence and audacious attitude strain the "likability" factor of this long-winded fairy as she explains her responsibilities. Richly colored, humorous illustrations, rendered in acrylic and oil paints, pencil, and ballpoint pen, are the highlight of this tale. The pictures reveal a redheaded sprite in purple who is always accompanied by three assistant lightning bugs. Her mode of transportation is a flat, tooth-shaped, booster-powered board as she collects teeth from children throughout the country. But the question still remains, what does she do with all those teeth? An additional purchase, this is a wordy book about an illustrious but illusive childhood fantasy.Maryann H. Owen, Racine Public Library, WI

Copyright 2007 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.