Top Secret

Believers in the Tooth Fairy should read no further, for Dewan's (Inside Dinosaurs) latest picture book offers a different scenario about how children's lost teeth are collected. According to the ""top secret"" information reported here, it's not a fairy, but a ""Night Brigade"" of tiny, variously colored creatures, who look like glowworms in overalls, that performs the tooth-for-money exchanges in the middle of the night. The Brigade--including the narrator, ""the new kid"" who must prove himself--fashions all kinds of elaborate gadgets to lift sleeping children from their pillows just long enough for the job at hand. Dewan's suspenseful tone and generous use of ellipses skillfully lead readers through an unusual nighttime fantasy. The Brigade appears lilliputian upon the ""big furry cliffs"" (a carpeted staircase) or inside the ""Slumber Zone"" (a girl's bedroom), and Dewan highlights many of their activities in small panels to the side of large central paintings. A shadowy palette and unique perspectives challenge kids to decipher a fun visual mystery while pondering the story. Ages 4-8. (Apr.)