Daily children’s book recommendations and events from Anita Silvey.
Discover the stories behind the children’s book classics . . .
The new books on their way to becoming classics . . .
And events from the world of children’s books—and the world at large.
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On February 28, Tooth Fairy Day commemorates our love and affection to the kindly tooth fairy and her generosity to children. Many retain wonderful childhood memories of placing a tooth under the pillow and finding some coins in the morning. But does the tooth fairy visit everyone—all over the globe?
In Throw Your Tooth on the Roof: Tooth Traditions from Around the World author Selby B. Beeler explores the way different areas of the world celebrate when a child looses a tooth. It would appear that the tooth fairy has a fairly limited geographic range—Australia, Canada, Britain, and the U.S. In Mexico and Guatemala, El Raton, the magic mouse, aids children who lose teeth. Children in El Salvador receive a visit from a rabbit. In Botswana children throw their teeth on the roof. In Mali it goes in the chicken coop, with hopes for a big, fat hen. Divided by areas of the world and moving around the globe, Throw Your Tooth on the Roof presents small vignettes for sixty-five different locations; for each of them G. Brian Karas has fansioned a funny, realistic drawing.
If you simply want a story of the life of a contemporary tooth fairy, Australian comic genius Bob Graham’s April and Esme: Tooth Fairies, published in 2010, explores the trials and tribulations of would-be tooth fairies. After all, how do they know what to do? April is only seven, but she convinces her parents that she and her younger sister Esme can make their first attempt to rescue a tooth. In this modern family, although April is a “spirit of the air…magic,” her mother asks her to text if she gets in trouble. The young tooth fairies find the location, follow a line of toys to the bedroom, and remove their first tooth. At the end Mom and Dad hug them “til their wings cracked.” April and Esme: Tooth Fairies shows a functional family and also demonstrates the pride children feel in a job well done. As delightful as the story itself, the art contains just as many fabulous details—teeth hanging from the ceiling or a fairy taking a bath in a teacup. A perfect combination of pictures and text, this storybook not only delights young readers, it frequently brings requests for just one more reading.
Happy Tooth Fairy Day! I hope you keep all of your teeth today—but if you know a child who has just lost one, these books will go a long way toward reassuring them and making them feel that something magical could happen tonight.
Here’s a page from April and Esme: Tooth Fairies:
Also recommended:
- Nice Try, Tooth Fairy by Mary W. Olson, illustrated by Katherine Tillotson
- The Tooth Fairy by Peter Collington
- Mabel the Tooth Fairy and How She Got Her Job by Katie Davis
A few other events for
- Happy birthday Donna Jo Napoli (The King of Mulberry Street; Albert ), Megan McDonald (Judy Moody series), and Daniel Handler, pen name Lemony Snicket (A Series of Unfortunate Events).
- It’s the birth date of illustrator Sir John Tenniel (1820–1914), Alice in Wonderland, and author Dee Brown (1908–2002), Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee.
- In 1977, the first killer whale was born in captivity. Read Killer Whales by Sandra Markle and Keiko’s Story: A Killer Whale Goes Home by Linda Moore Kurth.
- It’s Floral Design Day. Read Alison’s Zinnia by Anita Lobel and Planting a Rainbow by Lois Ehlert.