Tooth Fairy in Training

Tate is a tooth fairy in training, embarking on her first night of instruction by the side of her sister May. After some one-on-one chalkboard instruction and a little role play, they set off to collect teeth from some unusual suspects—a baby hippo, seal and anaconda to name a few—before arriving at a more familiar looking bed of a little girl. When Tate inadvertently creates a clatter and awakens Melissa, they’re both in for a surprise, but it’s nothing that a little fairy wish can’t handle. While an interesting take on the tooth-fairy tradition, involving animals as well as children, the implication that children are as dangerous (if not more so) than the aforementioned animals feels forced and jaded, especially in contrast to the overabundance of pink and sparkles, whose presence would imply this is a book that is aimed to please the stereotypical little girl, in particular. The backgrounds themselves have been able to escape the color pink frequently permeating fairy books—the underwater spread of ocean creatures is a standout—but May and Tate’s pink hair and trails of pink glitter pigeon-hole Tooth Fairy in Training unnecessarily and detract from the elements that are original. The book’s cadence is fair but requires work and attention from the reader to capture the rhymes as they shift around the page in a flood of bolded italics.

When it’s time for Tate to start her tooth-fairy training, she learns that there’s much more to the job than just leaving coins for sleeping children.

Tate’s tooth-fairy training starts today, and her big sister, May, is taking her out on her very first tooth-collecting mission. After practicing at home, Tate is ready to test her skills, and May leads her to their first stop: a herd of hippos in a lake! After all, human children aren’t the only young creatures that lose their teeth. In fact, being a tooth fairy is a dangerous job, and Tate must visit all kinds of toothy predators before the night is up. Will she be able to collect the teeth from narwhals, anacondas, and more — all without waking a single creature? Author Michelle Robinson and illustrator Briony May Smith introduce two brave fairy sisters with a whimsical, rhyming read-aloud.