Lunette, the True Story of the Tooth Fairy

Cruise’s (Bartleby Speaks!) modern-day tooth fairy myth is all sweetness and light. Lunette, the original tooth fairy, discovers her calling when she comforts a child frightened by the prospect of losing his tooth. Curlicue lettering, a golden-hued palette, and Docampo’s (Medio Pollito) elaborately imagined fairy world all contribute to the story’s candy-box aesthetic. Lunette has a sweeping red bouffant, bloomers, and dragonfly wings; her mouse sidekick has cute outsize ears. “Another year has passed, and I still don’t know what my special talent is,” Lunette sighs to the Fairy Queen; fortunately, she’s soon presented with the opportunity to console the human boy Lucas. “When your tooth falls out,” Lunette tells him, “if you hide your tooth as a gift for me, I’ll use it to make something magical.” She and her friends fashion a star-shaped pillow, add the tooth to the recipe for magic dust, and, in a dramatic spread, carry the glowing star up into the night sky. Cruise reminds readers of the importance of cultivating kindness, and her story makes a suitable under-the-pillow gift for a young tooth-loser. Ages 4–10. (Jan.)