Here Comes the Tooth Fairy Cat

Here Comes the Tooth Fairy Cat

Deborah Underwood, Author

Claudia Rueda, Illustrator

Dial Books for Young Readers, Fiction, May 19, 2015

Suitable for Ages: 3-7

Themes: Cat, Mouse, Tooth fairy

Opening: Cat! You lost a tooth! Did the Tooth Fairy come?

Synopsis: Cat has lost a tooth and the Tooth Fairy has left behind a coin. Cat is disappointed because he wanted to meet her. Cat devises a plan to trick the Tooth Fairy with the tooth of a comb. The Tooth Fairy doesn’t fall for Cat’s scheme, but sends a costume, a trickster mouse and a note that suggests “if you help me with a few deliveries, maybe we can meet.” Cat and Mouse head off with deliveries to a gopher, a squirrel and a bear. As the stakes rise, so does the humor. The story concludes with an unexpected surprise for Cat.

What I like about this book:

What a hoot! Deborah Underwood has written another playful and clever story about the antics of Cat, this time as the Tooth Fairy Cat.  Underwood assumes the role of narrator and commentator for Cat and Mouse. The story is character driven and focuses entirely upon Cat and Mouse. The text is spare with minimal illustrations and great use of white space. The words and illustration depend upon one another. Readers will  focus on the hilarious facial expressions, the naughty behavior, the impish body language, and the playfulness of Cat and Mouse as they try to outsmart the Tooth Fairy. This is a great example where Claudia Rueda’s colored-pencil and ink illustrations really tell the story, much to the delight of the many fans of this series. The author and illustrator team up to produce another winning book for children.

Resources: Losing a tooth is a rite of passage for young children.  Encourage your child to write a letter to the Tooth Fairy. Check out this pinterest page about making Tooth Fairy pillows and other activities. Since this is a story about a cat losing a tooth, do other young animals lose baby teeth? How many teeth do cats, dogs, turtles, cows, horses and elephants have compared to children? And how do they use their teeth?

Deborah Underwood is the New York Times bestselling author of Here Comes the Easter Cat, as well as Here Comes Santa Cat, The Quiet Book and Bad Bye, Good Bye. Bella the cat lives with the author. Visit Deborah Underwood at her website.

Every Friday, authors and KidLit bloggers post a favorite picture book. To see a complete listing of all the Perfect Picture Books (PPB) with resources, please visit author Susanna Leonard Hill’s Perfect Picture Books.