by Denise Ditto illustrated by Gabhor Utomo ‧ RELEASE DATE: March 28, 2018
An entertaining tale despite Decay Valley’s guilt trip.
In this second children’s chapter book in a series, a tooth fairy gets help from friends after she’s banished to Decay Valley for collecting an inadequately brushed tooth.
Batina is a “Tooth Collector” with a problem: Her next assignment, a boy named Scooter Brown, hasn’t been brushing well, and a tooth fairy’s chief responsibility is to motivate kids to practice good dental hygiene. If the tooth that she collects doesn’t pass inspection, she’ll be sent to Decay Valley until Scooter loses another, well-brushed tooth. (Well-brushed teeth, it turns out, are the source of fairy dust, which allows fairies to fly.) Meanwhile, fairy Jolene passes her tooth-collector exams with a respectable B-plus after having failed them the previous year. However, she still likes to cut corners, and before Batina can stop her, she disguises Scooter’s decayed tooth with white paint, hoping it’ll pass muster. Of course, the ruse doesn’t work. Before Batina reports to Decay Valley, she writes an encouraging note to Scooter, leaves it in her room, and asks her friends to deliver it. However, Jolene is too impatient to look for Batina’s note, so she tries to help by forging a new one. After the tooth-fairy authorities discover Jolene’s latest trick, they remind her of the fairy rules, which include strict honesty. After several days, Scooter loses another tooth; Jolene, regretting her previous behavior, volunteers to collect it, hoping for the best. Ditto (The Tooth Collector Fairies: Batina’s Best First Day, 2016) again uses the issue of dental hygiene, important in itself, to teach larger lessons about honesty, fairness, and cooperation. Jolene, the previous book’s most intriguing character, again steals the show here, and Ditto makes the tooth-fairy community seem like fun. However, it’s illogical that fairies should suffer banishment for children’s poor teeth, particularly when they have no chance to encourage them toward proper hygiene beforehand. Also, making young readers feel responsible for fairies’ well-being may add an extra layer of guilt to the dental-hygiene process. Illustrator Utomo’s (Mayanito’s New Friends, 2017, etc.) colorful images depict a diverse group of fairies and capture their actions and expressions well.
An entertaining tale despite Decay Valley’s guilt trip.Pub Date: March 28, 2018
ISBN: 978-0-9967559-6-2
Page Count: 76
Publisher: Ditto Enterprises
Review Posted Online: Oct. 15, 2018
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
Share your opinion of this book
More by Denise Ditto
BOOK REVIEW
by Denise Ditto
BOOK REVIEW
by Denise Ditto illustrated by Gabhor Utomo
Awards & Accolades
Our Verdict
GET IT
Google Rating
New York Times Bestseller
by Kobi Yamada ; illustrated by Natalie Russell ‧ RELEASE DATE: March 1, 2017
A sweet, soft conversation starter and a charming gift.
Awards & Accolades
Our Verdict
GET IT
Google Rating
New York Times Bestseller
A paean to teachers and their surrogates everywhere.
This gentle ode to a teacher’s skill at inspiring, encouraging, and being a role model is spoken, presumably, from a child’s viewpoint. However, the voice could equally be that of an adult, because who can’t look back upon teachers or other early mentors who gave of themselves and offered their pupils so much? Indeed, some of the self-aware, self-assured expressions herein seem perhaps more realistic as uttered from one who’s already grown. Alternatively, readers won’t fail to note that this small book, illustrated with gentle soy-ink drawings and featuring an adult-child bear duo engaged in various sedentary and lively pursuits, could just as easily be about human parent- (or grandparent-) child pairs: some of the softly colored illustrations depict scenarios that are more likely to occur within a home and/or other family-oriented setting. Makes sense: aren’t parents and other close family members children’s first teachers? This duality suggests that the book might be best shared one-on-one between a nostalgic adult and a child who’s developed some self-confidence, having learned a thing or two from a parent, grandparent, older relative, or classroom instructor.
A sweet, soft conversation starter and a charming gift. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: March 1, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-943200-08-5
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Compendium
Review Posted Online: Dec. 13, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2017
Share your opinion of this book
More by Kobi Yamada
BOOK REVIEW
by Kobi Yamada ; illustrated by Adelina Lirius
BOOK REVIEW
by Kobi Yamada ; illustrated by Charles Santoso
BOOK REVIEW
by Kobi Yamada ; illustrated by Elise Hurst
by Josh Schneider & illustrated by Josh Schneider ‧ RELEASE DATE: May 1, 2011
Broccoli: No way is James going to eat broccoli. “It’s disgusting,” says James. Well then, James, says his father, let’s consider the alternatives: some wormy dirt, perhaps, some stinky socks, some pre-chewed gum? James reconsiders the broccoli, but—milk? “Blech,” says James. Right, says his father, who needs strong bones? You’ll be great at hide-and-seek, though not so great at baseball and kickball and even tickling the dog’s belly. James takes a mouthful. So it goes through lumpy oatmeal, mushroom lasagna and slimy eggs, with James’ father parrying his son’s every picky thrust. And it is fun, because the father’s retorts are so outlandish: the lasagna-making troll in the basement who will be sent back to the rat circus, there to endure the rodent’s vicious bites; the uneaten oatmeal that will grow and grow and probably devour the dog that the boy won’t be able to tickle any longer since his bones are so rubbery. Schneider’s watercolors catch the mood of gentle ribbing, the looks of bewilderment and surrender and the deadpanned malarkey. It all makes James’ father’s last urging—“I was just going to say that you might like them if you tried them”—wholly fresh and unexpected advice. (Early reader. 5-9)
Pub Date: May 1, 2011
ISBN: 978-0-547-14956-1
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Clarion Books
Review Posted Online: April 4, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2011
Share your opinion of this book
More by Josh Schneider
BOOK REVIEW
by Josh Schneider ; illustrated by Josh Schneider
BOOK REVIEW
by Josh Schneider ; illustrated by Josh Schneider
BOOK REVIEW
by Josh Schneider ; illustrated by Josh Schneider
© Copyright 2025 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Hey there, book lover.
We’re glad you found a book that interests you!
We can’t wait for you to join Kirkus!
It’s free and takes less than 10 seconds!
Already have an account? Log in.
OR
Trouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
Welcome Back!
OR
Trouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
Don’t fret. We’ll find you.