The Museum of Lost Teeth

November 15, 2022
A pun-filled exploration of life after teeth. Toothy is a well-kept tooth whose address is "Bottom Row, Left Center, Liam Taylor's Mouth, New Jersey." When Liam, a tan-skinned child with curly reddish-brown hair, notices that Toothy is loose, Toothy frets about his fate before finally finding himself lodged in an apple, alone. Thankfully, Liam rescues Toothy and places him under his pillow, and Felicity Fairy, a bespectacled, brown-skinned tooth fairy with curly purple hair, whisks him away to the Museum of Lost Teeth. The building is part museum, part boardinghouse for teeth of all types, some of which are silently on display while others frolic and play. The book is laced with dental-related humor and puns that will delight a dentist but will leave most children bored beyond belief. The problem is the shallow storytelling, which dashes through the museum without leaving time for Toothy's character to develop. The stress and fear of falling out and his life-after-Liam are brushed over quickly, and the plot turns into a museum tour rather than an adventure. The digital illustrations add some color and pop, but it's not enough to make Toothy, the museum, or the tooth-fairy industry interesting. It's an intriguing idea but one that may have fallen out of the mouth a little too soon. (This book was reviewed digitally.) Perfect for a dentist's office. That's it. (Picture book. 4-6)

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January 1, 2023
Preschool-Grade 2 When we first meet Toothy, he's living in Liam's mouth, right next to his pal, Fang. Toothy didn't even know he was loose until Liam wiggled him. But a few days later, "an apple took him out." That night, Toothy sleeps soundly under Liam's pillow until he awakens to the gentle voice of Felicity Fairy, one of the many tooth fairies (she covers "the tri-state area"). Carrying Toothy on her back, she flies to a grand building, The Museum of Lost Teeth, and places him on his own pedestal. Pulling out a copy of the note she left for Liam, she reads it aloud. Toothy proudly stands and listens while wondering about his next adventure. With phrases such as "There was a lot to chew on" woven into the narrative, the wordplay might need some explanation for young children, but there's no mistaking the cheerful look of the digital artwork, depicting friendly little teeth enjoying their colorful surroundings at the museum. This picture book offers an upbeat, imaginative, and gently amusing take on tooth fairy lore.

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