April and Esme Tooth Fairies

by Bob Graham, Bob Graham (Illustrator)

Overview

"So much wonderful whimsy here, it’s hard to know what to praise first." — Booklist (starred review)

Two young tooth fairies make their first lost-tooth collection in Bob Graham’s warm, whimsical tale. Charm abounds in the visual details: the tiny fairy-sized cell phones the girls carry; the pony-tailed, winged dad in baggy jeans; the snug fairy house with teeth dangling like wind chimes. Once again, Bob Graham has crafted a tale of heartwarming adventure, magical yet very real.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780763663476
Publisher:	Candlewick Press
Publication date:	04/09/2013
Edition description:	Reprint
Pages:	40
Product dimensions:	6.70(w) x 9.80(h) x 0.20(d)
Lexile:	AD600L (what's this?)
Age Range:	5 - 9 Years

About the Author

 

Editorial Reviews

Young audiences will linger over the detailed illustrations that bring to life Graham's gentle tale.
—The Horn Book (starred review)

Theres so much wonderful whimsy here, its hard to know what to praise first. As always, a major treat is Graham’s detail-filled artwork, here punctuated by a fairy toilet made from an egg cup and ceiling decorations of hanging teeth. But Graham also slyly covers some interesting issues as well: the cocoon in which parents like to keep their kiddies, alternative families, and the pride and accomplishment children feel with a job well done. Fresh and lots of fun.
—Booklist (starred review)

So very charming, touching and heartwarming.
—Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

This is sure to be a favorite with the wiggly-tooth set.
—Bulletin of the Center of Children’s Books (starred review)

Whimsical illustrations and bright colors. Bob Graham uses his talents as an authorand illustrator to give us a peek into an almost believable, tiny world of tooth fairies where dad sports a ponytail, mom has a tattoo, and children carry cell phones
—Library Media Connection

Humorous writing and ink and watercolor paintings are first rate. The spunky heroines exude courage and spirit.
—Plain Dealer

Graham fills his pastel cartoonlike drawings with clever details such as a coffee cup for a bathtub and postage stamps for wall decorations. The story’s marvelous magic glides over the few lapses in logic It’s a loving tale of growing up
—Sacramento Bee

From the Publisher

Fantasy and reality merge as two spunky tooth fairies in an Australian suburb complete their first assignment with aplomb. When seven-year-old April Underhill and her younger sister Esme agree to retrieve Daniel Dangerfield's front milk tooth, their parents worry they are too young for their first solo mission. Reluctantly acquiescing, the Underhills dispatch the girls with a string carrier bag for the coin plus a warning that Daniel must not see them. Negotiating the congested motorway and tricky air currents, the teeny girls descend on wee wings to 3 Cornflower Terrace, follow the trail of toys to Daniel's room and dive into his water glass to fetch the tooth. All goes smoothly until Daniels wakes, forcing the girls to text their mother for advice. Delicate ink, watercolor and pastel illustrations provide humorous, incongruous details of the winged Underhills' bucolic existence in a flower-filled thatched cottage adjacent the trash-lined motorway. Sporting cell phones, jeans and even a tattoo, the modern Underhills innocently continue their tooth-fairy traditions despite the less-than-magical outside world. So very charming, touching and heartwarming. (Picture book. 5-8)

Kirkus Reviews