BUCK'S TOOTH

Buck the beaver has one oversized front tooth dominating the left side of his mouth, and it’s a major hassle to daily life. That doesn’t stop him from being excited for the upcoming Beaverton Talent Show now that he and his friends are finally old enough to participate. But what is Buck’s talent? Even Buck doesn’t know, since every attempt to develop one ends disastrously when his tooth gets in the way. He takes some comfort in the success of his uncle Henry, a famous sculptor, whose dentition is just like Buck’s, but Buck wants to find his own talent. He tries to eliminate his problem with “Operation Tooth Pull.” After several failed plans, including the string-tied-to-a-doorknob method and cracking open a bunch of nuts, Buck becomes dejected. His bluebird friend tries to cheer him up, attesting that Buck’s talent may be “right under [his] nose.” Meanwhile, the talent show is underway, and Uncle Henry plans to unveil his latest masterpiece at it. In a moment of classic slapstick, Buck causes an accident with the sculpture and frantically works to remedy it. What results is an unveiling of Buck’s amazing talent! This short chapter book is formatted like a graphic novel, combining a low word count with the heavy use of narrative illustrations to make it appropriate for very early readers. The lively cartoon style pairs well with effects like speech balloons for dialogue.

Readers will cheer to see Buck’s talent brought to light.