The Tooth Collector Fairies: Batina's Best First Day

by Denise Ditto, Gabhor Utomo (Illustrator)

Overview

In the magical land of Brushelot it is Batina's first day collecting teeth. She is determined that her humongous wings will not interfere with her mission. But on her way back, with the tooth secure in her pouch, her wings cause her to tumble and the tooth is lost. Batina must call on her best friends, Lainey the brainiac and little Lulu, to work together to save the day.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780996755917
Publisher:	Ditto Enterprises
Publication date:	02/01/2016
Series:	Tooth Collector Fairies , #1
Pages:	50
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 0.25(d)
Age Range:	5 - 9 Years

About the Author

Denise Ditto, a native Texan, is a freelance writer who loves writing for children. She started working on The Tooth Collector Fairies series in 2012. She also enjoys writing about a variety of other topics, often focusing on recollections from her childhood and growing up in Houston. Her short story The Art of Ironing was published in OMG, That Woman!, a woman's fiction anthology released in April 2013.
In addition to writing for children, Denise is the director and CFO of the Houston Writers Guild. She took on this responsibility in September 2014 after spending a year on the board of directors as the treasurer. Additionally, she's been an active member in the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators since 2012.
Denise graduated magna cum laude from the University of Houston-Downtown with a degree in professional writing. She published two short stories in the university's literary magazine, The Bayou Review, and won first place in the creative-writing contest for her short story Summer Breeze.
On a personal note, Denise is happily married to her husband, Frank Satterfield. They have four children and seven grandchildren. The couple lives in Montgomery, Texas, with their two furry companions, Jak Tuf Kat and Jillian Bean.

Gabhor Utomo was born in Indonesia. He moved to California in 1997 to become an artist.
He received his degree from Academy of Art University in San Francisco in spring 2003.
Since his graduation he worked as a freelance illustrator and has illustrated numerous children's books. His first Children's book, "Kai's Journey to Gold Mountain", is a story about a young Chinese immigrant in Angel Island. Gabhor's works has won awards and recognitions from local and national art organizations. His painting of Senator Milton Marks is a permanent collection at the California State Building in downtown San Francisco. He also created posters for the famous Mountain Play in Marin County, California. His clients include Abdo Publishing Company, Bob Jones University Press, Chooseco, Harley
Davidson, Harper Collins, McGraw Hill Education, Zondervan, and many more. Gabhor currently lives with his wife Dina and his twin daughters in Portland, Oregon.

Editorial Reviews

2018-07-07
In this debut chapter book, a tooth fairy intends to be the best collector ever.In Brushelot, Batina's oversized fairy wings sometimes make her clumsy, but she's determined they won't get in her way on her first day on the job as a tooth collector. Batina joins her friends Lainey and Lulu to get their assignments. One fairy, Jolene, didn't study and failed the collector tests; she's a bully who wears toothpicks in her hair. Collection goes well, but the teeth must be inspected, because only well-brushed ones can be transformed into fairy dust—without it, the enchanted beings can't fly. First, Batina almost loses her tooth in the Inspection Department. Then the conveyor belt to the Manufacturing Department gets stuck (a toothpick is found in the works) and, finally, the Super-Duper Magic Dust-Making Machine won't start. But teamwork and determination, with Batina in the lead, solve these problems, and even Jolene helps out—her toothpick making a vital link in the fairy chain of power that restarts the Dust-Making Machine. Batina's perseverance is recognized at that night's ceremony, and she credits her friends, even thanking Jolene, for the roles they played. Jolene apologizes for sabotaging the conveyor belt, and all are friends now. In her book for kids ages 5 to 9, Ditto underlines the importance of well-brushed teeth from a tooth fairy's point of view, an intriguing choice since children are generally more interested in what the collector leaves under their pillows. The book is less about good dental hygiene and more about the virtues of teamwork, persistence, friendship, and honesty. But the morals are lightened by the story's humor and charm; Jolene's perverse use of toothpicks (not recommended by dentists) is a great touch, making her reformation almost a shame. The colorful illustrations by Utomo (Mayanito's New Friends, 2017, etc.) skillfully capture this magical world, from gauzy wings to metal contraptions. The characters are depicted with a wide range of expressions, although all appear to be white.An entertaining behind-the-scenes look at tooth fairies.

Kirkus Reviews