April and Esme: Tooth Fairies

by Bob Graham

Candlewick, 2010. Unpaged. Picture Book.

Bob Graham has worked his magic again with a loving tooth-fairy family, the Underhills, who live at the base of a stump near the motorway. April, aged seven, and Esme, aged six, receive a call on April's cell phone. Daniel Dangerfield has lost a tooth and needs a pickup and exchange. April and Esme's parents think they are too young, but agree to let them go if they are very careful and text Mum and Dad if they need help. The exchange is made, though April has to dive for the tooth which is in a glass of water. They swing in, on the way out, to see Daniel's grandmother, but leave all her teeth in the glass where they find them. Graham's genius as illustrator and storyteller is richly evident here, as is his particular gift for portraying the loving bonds of families.

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