The creators of Bedhead (2000) score again with this uproarious tale of a lad beleaguered by a aggressive sweet tooth with an attitude that’s anything but sweet. Stuck with a bad rep thanks to a molar given to bellowing out “I NEED A CANDY BAR. NOW-OW!” at inopportune moments, Stewart finally starts to fight back, switching to vegetables and, when the grouchy grinder refuses to knuckle under, pulling out the ultimate weapon: a raw carrot. A few crunches later, out comes the offending tooth, off to become a headache for the Tooth Fairy. Decorating his scenes with arrays of tempting junk food, Davis illustrates the oral onslaught with views of a grimacing tooth waving tiny fists from the mouth of a moon-faced, pop-eyed child. Readers fond of the wordplay and anatomical humor of Richard Egielski’s Buz (1995) will bite happily. (Picture book. 6-8)
Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2004
ISBN: 0-689-85159-6
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2004
As if having to collect all the world’s unattached baby teeth isn’t hard enough, some children want them back. Young Emma’s polite request to borrow her tooth to show Grandpa brings a succession of not-quite-right substitutes, from an elephant’s tusk to a hedgehog’s sand-grain–sized nubbin—and a train of original owners charging into her bedroom to reclaim them. Using richly colored oils, Tillotson (Songs of Papa's Island, not reviewed) illustrates this epistolary episode with close-up views of a matronly sprite with a distinctly harried air, and a rumpled redhead in purple pajamas who gratefully sends a thank-you note—and another tooth—when the frantic fairy finally gets it right. Children will enjoy this merry romp, Olson’s debut, and if they want to know what the tooth fairy does with all those teeth, look for answers in, among other books, Peter Collington’s Tooth Fairy (not reviewed) or William Hooks’s Mystery of the Missing Tooth (not reviewed). (Picture book. 6-8)
Pub Date: June 1, 2000
ISBN: 0-689-82422-X
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 15, 2000
As the tub fills, a pop-eyed, rubber-limbed lad dashes madly about the house, gathering waterproof toys: “I throw one ducky in my tubby. / He’s the only ducky I own. / I add his windup froggy friend / so he won’t be all alone.” That’s just the beginning—but all the eagerness is deceptive, for by the time his parents run out of patience, “the tub is crammed so full of toys / there’s not a spot for me!” Perched atop a pile of sudsy playthings, he doesn’t seem particularly disappointed—no King Bidgood he. Computer-generated and wildly exaggerated, the art is as goofy as the concept. Daddy becomes a shark, Mom, an octopus, so when she points her finger, well, it has suckers on it along with a pearl bracelet. Eventually, when the boy has run out of toys, she produces her funnel, it’s “the best!” The final two scenes include his bare-bottomed march up his fire-engine ladder, set at an angled perspective to cover two pages. And when he’s arrived at the top, readers will have to wait while listeners pick out everything they’ve seen collected, noting the original duck nesting in the boy’s hair. Pair this energetic children’s debut with other tales of young procrastinators like Peggy Rathmann’s 10 Minutes Till Bedtime (1998). (Picture book. 6-8)
Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2002
ISBN: 1-58246-066-3
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Tricycle
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2002
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