Ruth Mary is a tooth fairy, whose usual job is to collect teeth from under children’s pillows, but one night, she’s given a special assignment from the Fairy Queen: to collect the teeth of three jungle animals. She dons her wings, flies to the jungle, and completes her task. But when she makes an unscheduled stop to help a crocodile who has also lost a tooth, she’s in for a shock, because that crocodile wants something in return for his tooth – Ruth Mary herself!
The story – for children between three and seven years – is as charming as you’d expect from much-loved children’s author Julia Donaldson, among whose books is The Gruffalo, surely one of the most popular children’s books of the last three decades. The lively illustrations from Lydia Monks will readily engage young children, as colour bursts from every page.
Helping others is a central theme of this book. Kindness goes a long way. And while there’s not quite as much rhyming in this book as in Donaldson’s others, the little verse that Ruth Mary sings when she makes her collections is cheerfully catchy, just perfect for young readers.
THE TOOTH FAIRY AND THE CROCODILE is full of fun and adventure, and is a great book to read to kids – even those without a wobbly tooth!
Recommended for ages 3 to 7.
Published by Macmillan Children’s Books, 32 pages
ISBN 978-1-4472-8443-7 RRP $26.99
