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How the Tooth Mouse Met the Tooth Fairy
This is a lovely book for children, exploring different traditions of what happens to their baby teeth once they fall out, starting in South Africa with the Tooth Mouse.
The book explains why we brush our teeth and what happens if we don't. We're introduced to Bobby, who experiences his first wobbly tooth, and his older sister, Lizzie, who enjoys sharing her knowledge about Max, the Tooth Mouse, with her little brother.
In South Africa, Max takes baby teeth from children's slippers, where they are left with a piece of cheese, and leaves a coin in return. He takes these teeth to build a magical tooth castle in a world with toothbrush trees. Unfortunately, the family has to move to Canada before Bobby's tooth comes out, but the children ask Max to go with them. Once the tooth is lost, the Tooth Fairy arrives to take the tooth and explains that, in Canada, children put their baby teeth under their pillows.
Bobby and Lizzie have a magical trip to the Tooth Castle with Max and the Tooth Fairy who show them the pile of rotten teeth that cannot be used in the castle owing to the consumption of too many sweets and sugary drinks.
Bobby takes his tale to school where the teacher and the other children tell of other traditions around the world. The book ends with a trip to the dentist to check that their teeth are healthy and their smiles are happy.
The book is full of messages about healthy teeth, brushing teeth twice a day, eating cheese and snacking on crunchy vegetables. The messages are kept simple for the readers to understand.
This book would be very appropriate for the dentist's waiting room, though I am sure it would not be in pristine condition for long as it is an enchanting story. It has become the favourite bedtime book in our house.