Bully Brothers Trick

Tough guys Bubba and Bumpo (pictured wearing boxing gloves, selling Hawaiian punch--not the kind one drinks) are ``always on the lookout for an easy way to make some money.'' Imagine the twins' devious delight when they each lose a tooth, and discover that the Tooth Fairy leaves a silver dollar for every pearly white left under the pillow. No kid's cuspids are safe as the brothers go on a tooth-snatching rampage, devising cunning ways to filch valuable bounty from unsuspecting mouths. But the jig is up when the two pose as dentist and nurse and attempt to make off with a potential gold mine: an old lady's dentures. ``Thith ith not the American way,'' laments Bubba when the Tooth Fairy stops leaving cash, instead making payments to repair the damaged dentures. The success of this inventively twisted tale--the first in a series featuring this dastardly duo--is due as much to Lee's hilarious cartoons as to Thaler's waggish story line. This latest from the creators of The Teacher from the Black Lagoon will elicit giggles aplenty. Ages 4-8. (Mar.)