In Which Teeth Become Treasure

The Tooth Fairy
By Peter Collington

A wordless picture book! I love these! I feel like my interest in and appreciation of these books has increased since I started exploring graphic novels. There are so many ways to tell a story, and words are not always necessary. A coworker who shares my love of Flotsam handed this book to me this morning and I couldn’t wait to share it with you.

Summary
As indicated by its title, The Tooth Fairy is about the little lady who collects our lost teeth when we sleep, leaving money in their place. However, the process is much more than just taking a tooth and leaving a coin. The young girl we meet on the first page loses her tooth as she gets into bed, and dutifully places it under her pillow before turning in. In the tree-filled landscape outside her house, a tiny fairy clad in white emerges from a doorway in a tree, and flies into the night. But rather than going straight to the tooth, she goes into a secret tree, where she mines for silver and smelts a coin by hand!

(Can we take a moment to celebrate the awesome Tooth Fairy girl power here? She mines silver and smelts it! Smelts! How cool is the Tooth Fairy?)

After smelting the coin, the Tooth Fairy goes and collects the tooth, leaving her handmade treasure behind. When she gets back to her cute little tree home, she sets up shop again, this time working with the tooth. She cuts strips from it and makes a key for a piano, and the view of her house shows that she has made countless objects from the teeth she has picked up.

As the sun rises, we see the girl find her coin, and the Tooth Fairy is contentedly playing her now complete piano.

Worth staying up past bedtime?
Rating: Up 'Till Dawn

This was an insanely imaginative book and I loved going through the images to discover all the tiny details hidden within. Collington did a great job taking a well-known legend and putting his own spin on it.

I do have to say, I was a little creeped out by all the things the Tooth Fairy made with the teeth. I saw a picture frame, drawer pulls, and an umbrella handle all made of teeth. As much as I support recycling and favor the use of non-ivory products, there was a little bit of a gross-out factor for me. But, to each her own!

Recommended for all ages, especially those with wiggly teeth.