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Throw Your Tooth on the Roof
by Selby Beeler
(Check Catalog)

A fascinating and humorous look at customs consists of brief statements relating what children from around the world do with a tooth that has fallen out and includes facts about teeth.

Consists of brief statements relating what children from around the world do with a tooth that has fallen out

Booklist Monthly Selections -
#1 July 1998 (BL8M

Ages 4^-8. If children think a visit from the Tooth Fairy is the only way to trade in baby teeth, they're in for a surprise. Beeler's funny and intriguing sampling of lost-tooth traditions from around the world shows that teeth are every bit as likely to end up down a mouse hole, in the stomach of a dog, or on the roof of a house, as they are under a pillow. Written as first-person statements, the customs, identified by country, are accompanied by a small illustration in which Karas attempts to capture some distinctive feature of the area--koalas in Australia, the Eiffel Tower in France, a thatched-roof dwelling in Cameroon.

The artwork doesn't always achieve the goal, but it's consistently lively and comical. For children curious about teeth in general, Beeler has rounded up some basic facts to which Karas has added a nicely captioned picture of a mouth opened to reveal a stunning array of pearly whites. Lots and lots of fun.

((Reviewed July 1998)) Copyright 2000 Booklist Reviews