April and Esme, Tooth Fairies (review)

Abstract

Reviewed by: April and Esme, Tooth Fairies Hope Morrison Graham, Bob. April and Esme, Tooth Fairies; written and illus. by Bob Graham. Candlewick, 2010. 32p. ISBN 978-0-7636-4683-7 $16.99 R* 5-8 yrs. Seven-year-old April Underhill has just gotten her first commission (by cell phone) as tooth fairy, and she's taking her little sister, Esme, along. Her parents, fairies themselves, provide the girls with a slew of professional advice for getting the job done, the most important being that they must not be seen. On their mission, April and Esme run into some trouble when their client, Daniel wakes up and looks right at them before falling back asleep; fortunately, April, following some texted advice from Mom, manages to convince Daniel that it was a dream, and the girls return home in triumph. Graham, whose literary families are always bursting with cozy individuality, here offers a sweetly original tale that provides little ones a glimpse into the home life of tooth fairies. The use of a contemporary urban setting (the fairy family lives in a tiny home set against a stump alongside a busy highway) enticingly implies that magic is everywhere. There is abundant affection within the fairy family, and the typical parental ambivalence—they're hesitant to let their children out into the world, yet proud as heck upon their return—is well and credibly conveyed. The bijou world of the fairies is depicted in adorable detail, with elements that recall Norton's The Borrowers; nonetheless, its fairy denizens are depicted as regular, if tiny, people (Dad has a ponytail and a five o'clock shadow, Mom has a tattoo on her upper arm) with big wings on their backs, and the domestic familiarity will enchant little listeners. This is sure to be a hit with the wiggly-tooth set. Copyright © 2010 The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois