THE LOST TOOTH CLUB
By
A book with an expected ending--a tooth falls out--that unintentionally reaffirms the value of pure conformity. Olivia repeatedly claims to have lost a tooth to gain entrance to the exclusive Lost Tooth Club all her friends have been allowed to join. Efforts to dupe the members include blackening her loose tooth with a marker, covering it with black licorice and trying to pass off a white pebble as a missing tooth, all in the name of belonging. The insistent club members, bordering on mean-spirited, catch her; when Olivia stumbles over her tooth after declaring that she is going to start a ""loose tooth"" club, the tooth flies out and she is welcomed into the clubhouse. The first tooth incident is funny, but the humor wears thin. Still, Johnson excels at animal expressions, as in her boisterous dream sequence depicting a gap-toothed menagerie, presided over by a moon with a missing tooth; Olivia's flyaway red hair forms a centerpiece to most of the soft-toned pastel compositions.