Book Week Early Childhood Shortlist ... the Tooth Fairy... by Briony Stewart

Blurb: Every single minute, of every single day, a child somewhere loses a baby tooth. But what happens to all those teeth?

They are collected by the tooth fairy, of course! Or the tooth fairies - because there is more than just one tooth fairy. In fact, there are millions! Like us, they are all different.

And now there is an informative and fully illustrated guide that's jam-packed with answers to every child's tooth fairy questions, like: What do tooth fairies eat? Where do they live? How do they collect your tooth - and what on earth do they do with it?

Find out everything there is to know about the magical (and sometimes just a little bit gross) world of the tooth fairy!

This book is every early childhood teacher's dream. It answers all the questions they are asked. It also gives you an idea for a very easy Book Week dress- you can be a tooth fairy!

Tooth fairy displays are popular in the library because it caters for 3 to 8 year olds and their parents, and they are the age that fully appreciates the tooth fairy. For this reason we have a large number of books about tooth fairies. See:

Not all children experience visits from the tooth fairy. Other cultures have a tooth mouse or throw the tooth on their roof.

I have written about the tooth fairy, teeth and dentists before on this blog. Type in what you are searching for and see what I have suggested there and this Pinterest page will give you examples of other books.

6th March National Dentist's Day

It is National Dentist's Day here in Australia  as well as in the USA on the 6th March.

It is a day to recognise and appreciate the important work dentists do in promoting oral health and hygiene.

Parents often come to the library to get a book about visiting the dentist, either because their child hasn't been before or because they are worried about visiting the dentist.

When this day came up I began to think about a display. What would I include in it? Dentists, teeth, toothbrushes? The catalogue revealed we had enough books to do all three.

Nearly every picture book series has a book about visiting the dentist. See Peppa Pig, Maisy, Curious George, Arthur, Topsy and Tim, Berenstain Bears, Pout-Pout Fish, Max and Zoe, Harry and the Dinosaurs.

Then there are several nonfiction books about dentists which range from the very simple first experiences up to a more detailed description of what a dentist does.

But, the dentist and teeth can also provide us with humour.

 

If you want to do something before the 6th March, it is Tooth Fairy Day next week on the 28th February. I have written about Tooth Fairy Day before and here is a Pinterest page with lots of books to explore.

9th March False Teeth Day

While researching Tooth Fairy Day I learned there is actually a day for  false teeth. Do we still need this day? It is celebrated on the day that Charles Graham was issued with a patent for his invention of artificial teeth. It was designed initially to make us think about teeth care too. 

I wonder if children actually have knowledge of false teeth today. Their grandparents probably have implants or a small plate, not dentures. I thought immediately of the book Grandad's Teeth by Rod Clements which used to make children really laugh. If you are going to read it aloud, you need to practise first because Grandad's speech without his teeth is hard to say. 

I was surprised to find that we had other false teeth books in the library. There are false teeth in 

• Crabtree by Jon and Tucker Nichols

This tall book is about Alfred Crabtree who has lost his false teeth. He knows he will find them if he tidies up his clutter. He sets out to organise his life.  

and in 

• Dave and the Tooth Fairy by Verna Wilkins and Carl Pearce.

Despite being about the tooth fairy, this book also talks about grandad's false teeth.

Your library might also have these:

28th February World Tooth Fairy Day

Losing baby teeth is an inevitability of growing up, and for children the Tooth Fairy or the Tooth Mouse are meant to soften the blow of pain or bleeding that may have accompanied the tooth falling out. The children I teach are at the age where loosing a tooth is common place. When I first started teaching I remember being gobsmacked when one of my students told me how much the tooth fairy had left her. When my children were loosing teeth I remember my daughter saying that her tooth fairy was a cheapskate compared to her friends' tooth fairies. I googled to see what the going rate is at the moment...in 2022 it was just over five dollars so no doubt it will soon be higher.

Although most of us are familiar with the traditional “tooth fairy” who has been around for centuries, the Tooth Mouse is an alternative that is much more familiar around the world. In France the Tooth Mouse is known as La Petite Souris, which is translated to “little mouse” in English. This little mouse  leaves behind not money, but a little gift for the child. In parts of Africa children throw their teeth on the roof of their home in the hope that a mouse will take their teeth and by doing so return to them the gift of new teeth as strong as that of a rat or mouse. In Spain and Mexico a rat (Raton Perez) collects the children's teeth and leaves behind coins.

If you want to find out about all three read these:

 • The Tooth Mouse   by Susan Hood and Janice Nadeau

In this charming picture book written by Susan Hood, the Tooth Mouse (who replaces the Tooth Fairy in French-speaking countries) has called a meeting to announce her retirement. "I am not as spry as I used to be ... I have decided it is time to name my successor!" she tells the surprised crowd. Sophie, an energetic and very tiny mouse, desperately wants the job. "C'est moi!" Sophie thinks. "Choose me! Choose me!" But the position of Tooth Mouse --- or La Petite Souris --- isn't just given to anyone; it must be earned by participating in a difficult and dangerous three-part contest to determine which of all the mouse applicants is the most brave, honest and wise.

• The Amazing and True Story of Tooth Mouse Perez by 

Ana Cristina Herreros and Violeta Lopiz  This book will be available here in April!

Long ago, throughout the Spanish-speaking world, the Tooth Mouse brought children their permanent teeth, strong and straight as a mouse's. Tracing the Tooth Mouse's beginnings through to his descendants, this book artfully weaves the Tooth Mouse's changing habits as the world industrialises, with the growing independence of the child, as teeth fall out and the child learns to care for themselves.

• Throw Your Tooth on the Roof by Selby Beeler and G. Brian Karas

When you lose a tooth, do you put it under your pillow and wait for the tooth fairy? In Botswana, children throw their teeth onto the roof. In Afghanistan they drop their teeth down mouse holes. From Egypt to Venezuela, Spain to Korea losing a tooth is an exciting milestone that's honored with unique traditions. Discover the variety of customs from every corner of the globe.

There are many picture books about the tooth fairy, but I usually suggest this one because I like the sentiment, even though I don't love the illustrations.

•Tooth Fairy  by Audrey Wood.

When Matthew loses a tooth, Jessica decides to make the Tooth Fairy's visit doubly worthwhile. Fantastic for encouraging children to keep their teeth clean enough to warrant a place in the 'hall of perfect teeth'. 

And for every child who has the dilemma of a lost tooth...

• Dave and the Tooth Fairy  by Verna Wilkins and Carl Pearce

Dave has a wobbly tooth. He wibbles and wobbles it, but it won't come out. But then one day Dave lets out an enormous sneeze and the tooth flies across the room and vanishes. Dave searches high and low, but it's nowhere to be seen. How will he get the tooth fairy to visit him now? 

For more tooth fairy books see here.

5th -11th August Dental Health Week; Shark Week

There are so MANY weeks to celebrate at the moment. It is Dental Health Week  and coincidentally Shark Week as well. Someone had a sense of humour combining sharks and teeth! Many mothers who visit my library ask about 'teeth cleaning' books and I always try to give them ones which are fun as well as discussion starters. The Discovery Channel is having a whole week of shark documentaries, many which my students would love but may give them nightmares. Here I've just put some of the popular, but lighthearted stories with sharks. If you want to combine the two topics look for Never Take a Shark to the Dentist  by Judith Barrett and John Nickle.