Josie’s Lost Tooth

h1 August 15th, 2018 by jules


“Josie checked for a loose tooth every night.
But nothing ever moved, not even a bit.”

(Click to enlarge spread)


 

I am always interested in seeing the latest picture book release from Jennifer K. Mann. Her stories possess such respect for the inner lives of children, and she captures domestic and school-related dramas so perfectly. (Here’s my 2016 7-Imp interview with her, if her books are new to you, by chance, and you want to explore.) Her newest picture book, Josie’s Lost Tooth (Candlewick), is no exception. It will be on shelves next month. Here’s a quick peek inside.

Now, let’s just admit that this whole tooth-losing part of childhood is hard. And CREEPY. (Is it just me? I always have dreams my teeth are falling out, so it may be just me.) The whole experience can be rife with drama and pain and tears — but also some thrills, on account of the tooth fairy herself. Whether or not you had a tooth fairy as a child and/or whether or not you have children now and engage in the whole tooth-fairy thing, Mann’s book resonates. This is the story of Josie, whose baby teeth stubbornly remain. She really wants to lose a tooth, and she really wants a coin from the Tooth Fairy. When it finally happens for her, as the result of a stumble on the playground at school, she is unable to locate the tooth that dislodged itself from her gum. What can she put under her pillow now?

She decides to leave a note for the toothy fairy — and she gets one in return. Plus, a surprise for both herself and her friend at school. This is a story of vulnerability, friendship, mystery — and maybe a little bit of wanting to grow up. Oh, and SHARK TEETH. Bonus!

Here’s another spread. …

 


“While Josie was in the nurse’s office, Richard tried to cheer her up. …”
(Click to enlarge spread and read text in its entirety)


 



 

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JOSIE’S LOST TOOTH. Copyright © 2018 by Jennifer K. Mann. Illustrations reproduced by permission of the publisher, Candlewick Press, Somerville, MA.





3 comments to “Josie’s Lost Tooth

  1. Oh, this looks darling. Also, I laugh that the tooth fairy could be fooled by a shark tooth but… who knows!
    Meanwhile, you’re not the only one who dreams of weird toothlessness… I was terrified of the whole thing as a kid, sure the tooth fairy would just REMOVE my recalcitrant teeth… ::shudder::


  2. Oh Jules, thank you so much for such a sweet review of Josie’s Lost Tooth! I love your own take on the creepiness of losing a tooth—and I can name several picture book pals who shuddered at a particular spread in this book. Anyway, this post just made my day.


  3. Tanita, I promise there is no trying to fool the Tooth Fairy!

    Jennifer: Your comment reminds me of the time my daughters and I went into a bookstore, and they picked up a copy of Raina Telgemeier’s SMILE and started to read it. Ever read it? It has a gory tooth scene in the beginning. They turned PALE and looked ill. They walked out of the store trembling. Now it’s one of their favorite graphic novels, but yeah … it took a while!


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