Tabitha's Terrifically Tough Tooth (Phyllis Fogelman Books) - Hardcover

Middleton, Charlotte

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0803725833 ISBN 13: 9780803725836

Publisher: Dial, 2001

Synopsis

A young girl tries everything she can think of to make her loose tooth fall out in time to leave it for the Tooth Fairy.

About this title

From School Library Journal

K-Gr 1-A welcome debut. Tabitha tries to help her wobbly tooth fall out, but nothing works. Dancing only makes her tired; with a string tied around its middle, her tortoise takes two steps and falls asleep; her dad's Venus flytrap captures-a fly. Fed up and out of ideas, Tabitha realizes, "There'd be no visit from the Tooth Fairy tonight." Then, she sneezes, and out pops her tooth. At the end, her outstretched arms and grin say it all, with only a note to the Tooth Fairy, "Please take care of my tough tooth." The understated yet focused text captures the desire, determination, and disappointment that can surround this powerful event in a child's life. While the text provides the content, the illustrations add the pizzazz. Each two-page spread is bold and aggressive, with solid expanses of deep, muted colors. White is used to a minimum, effectively allowing Tabitha's teeth to reign supreme. A free-flowing black line delineates each image. Although Tabitha's dad talks to her, no adults are depicted; her fat cat plays a central supporting role, watching or participating in every scene to deadpan comic effect. This book, with its focus front and center on Tabitha's dangling dilemma, creates an invigorating, warm experience for readers.

Martha Topol, Traverse Area District Library, Traverse City, MI

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

From Publishers Weekly

Tabitha's stubborn tooth isn't merely dangling from her top of her mouth it's literally cantilevered over her lower lip. Every attempt to coax it free fails, but just when it looks like the Tooth Fairy will be giving Tabitha's house a pass that night, the girl erupts with an explosive sneeze, and out pops the tooth. The payoff comes on the final page: a tiny tooth fairy alights on Tabitha's bed. British debut author/artist Middleton gives this oft-told story new life with full-bleed, mixed-media illustrations handsomely rendered in sapphire, russet and grassy green. Her cartoony style masks its own sophistication with childlike touches, e.g., the colors don't quite reach the penciled borders on her figures. She creates movement with gestural lines and via surprising views, as in a spread about Tabitha jumping on a trampoline, with the girl represented only by her toes as the rest of her flies out of range. By composing almost every one of the pictures along a single plane and virtually eliminating any background detail, Middleton accentuates Tabitha's appealing gangliness. And Tabitha's faithful sidekick, Henry, is a little jewel of cat a plump, orange fellow whose deadpan expressions wittily embody feline solicitude. Ages 4-8.

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

About this edition

• Publisher: Dial
• Publication date: 2001
• ISBN 10: 0803725833
• ISBN 13: 9780803725836
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 32
• Illustrator: Middleton Charlotte