TOOTH ON THE LOOSE

Waiting for her very wiggly tooth to come out so she may use the tooth-fairy money to purchase a birthday present for Papá, a little Latino girl is encouraged by her family to facilitate its extraction with bites of an apple or corn cob and string tied to a doorknob—to no avail. With no dinero, a homemade poetry card will have to do, even as the tooth pops out just in time for the celebration. This youngster receives the best reward for her bright gap-toothed smile—the love and appreciation of her Papá. Elya’s clever, singsong rhyme smoothly blends in Spanish vocabulary, signaled in bold within the text. “Oh, when will I lose it? / I’m hoping—espero— / that it’ll be soon, / since I need dinero!” Mattheson’s accompanying clean-lined oil illustrations, with their round shapes and bold primary colors, bring a Latin flavor to the scene, although it’s regrettable that there is no visual evidence of the loose tooth. A glossary ensures further comprehension, even though the bilingual poemas will provide no problemas. (Picture book. 4-6)