DEAR TOOTH FAIRY

In this wry epistolary tale, a precocious six-year-old petitions the tooth fairy regarding the status of her first loose tooth. In a flurry of letters, Claire quizzes the tooth fairy as to why she, at the ripe age of six years and one week, doesn’t have a wiggly tooth. The tooth fairy’s wise responses soothe Claire’s worries. Through Claire’s missives, Duncan winningly captures that fragile stage when small children eagerly await the milestones that promote them to big-kid status. Along the way, Claire and her friends learn about good oral hygiene—brush twice a day—and a smidge about tolerance, e.g., be happy for, rather than jealous of, others’ accomplishments—in this case, Jimmy Clarke and his two loose teeth. Fitzpatrick’s watercolor illustrations are a tranquil blend of mellow hues. The tooth fairy’s letters overlay the illustrations, gently drifting across the pages, and printed on appropriately fey stationary. The cumulative effect of images and text is a winsome and heartening tale for little ones awaiting the loss of their first tooth. (Picture book. 4-7)