Sweet Tooth - Softcover

Margie Palatini is the author of many celebrated children's books, including Lousy Rotten Stinkin' Grapes, The Three Silly Billies and Earthquack!, all illustrated by Barry Moser, as well as Sweet Tooth and Bedhead, both illustrated by Jack E. Davis. She lives with her family in New Jersey. Visit Margie at margiepalatini.com.

Kindergarten-Grade 3–Stewart is an "average, everyday kid" with a talking molar that inevitably lures him into trouble. At his cousin's wedding, the tooth demands a large chunk of cake, and when the boy crams it into his mouth, his parents deny that he's their son. At school, its clamoring for candy causes the boy's teacher to send him to the principal's office yet again. He foists off blame with the predictable phrase, "It's The Tooth!" The illustration adds to the hilarity as the molar peeks out of the boy's mouth with an impish and belligerent smirk, its fist raised in apparent anger. Throughout, the mixed-media cartoon artwork extends the comedy of Palatini's text and enriches her characterization of Stewart. In one spread, readers look down on him as he lies on the floor with a stomachache after raiding an Easter basket. This scene adds visual interest with a change in perspective, showing only the feet of his family members–even the paws of the cat–clustered around the sick boy. When Stewart finally tells his molar that he's switching to a "Healthy diet," Davis uses rosy red to perk up the palette and show the youngster's new determination to win the war with the tooth. Finally, Stewart extracts it with the help of a big carrot and the Tooth Fairy administers justice in an upbeat ending. With a rollicking text and charming illustrations, this adventure is a scrumptious delight.–James K. Irwin, Nichols Library, Naperville, IL
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