This Whole Tooth Fairy Things Nothing but a Big Rip Off! - Hardcover

LOIS G. GRAMBLING is the author of Big Dog (Cavendish Children's Books, 2001) and the Children's Choice Can I Have a Stegosaurus, Mom? Can I? Please? A former teacher and school social worker, she lives in Binghamton, New York.

THOMAS PAYNE, who lives in Albany, New York, has been a professional illustrator for over fifteen years. This is his first children’s book.

Kindergarten-Grade 2-Little Hippo becomes disgruntled when the Tooth Fairy doesn't visit him by 11 p.m. She finally shows up cold and wet from a rainstorm and is rather indignant because of the youngster's outburst stated in the book's title. They decide that he'll conduct the final "tooth-for-coin exchange" of the evening with Cub Bear while she takes a nap. Off he goes with her wings glued to his back, and he ends up quite satisfied with his adventure, and even offers to help out again if needed. The painterly oil illustrations are rendered in hues of gray and purple that evoke the nighttime feeling. Single-page pictures alternate with spreads that support the plot. This fairy is not a tiny being but rather a life-sized character almost as big as Little Hippo himself. She accessorizes smartly with tooth earrings and tooth charms on her necklace. There are some humorous moments that older children will appreciate, such as when the young hippo asks if wings are attached by magic, and the Tooth Fairy replies, "Superglue." Charlotte Middleton's Tabitha's Terrifically Tough Tooth (Phyllis Fogelman, 2001) is a bit shorter and therefore more appropriate for younger children.
Linda M. Kenton, San Rafael Public Library, CA
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