Little Chipmunk's Wiggly, Wobbly Tooth

PreS-Gr 1—Little Chipmunk is proud of his two big front teeth. When one of them becomes wobbly, he tries to keep it from getting looser by eating only soft foods. Finally, he visits the dentist and learns that his baby tooth will fall out and be replaced a new, adult tooth. Why Little Chipmunk goes to the dentist instead of simply asking his parents is anyone's guess. He also fails to notice that all of his friends are also missing baby teeth. The illustrations are reassuring, and the message should calm worries about losing teeth. However, Jean Van Leeuwen's Amanda Pig and the Wiggly Tooth (Dial, 2008) and Lucy Cousins's Maisy, Charley, and the Wobbly Tooth (Candlewick, 2006) are better choices. Little Raccoon always wants to be first, and she never wants to share. In fact, she's shown wearing and carrying all of her toys and tools so that she always has them close by. The bright, expressive illustrations show the dismayed and fed up faces of her friends as she goes about her day, oblivious to the effect her behavior has on others. Wanting to take part in a party with her friends leads Little Raccoon to sharing. The story is simple and the message is obvious without being didactic. It's a good choice for character education or a storytime about sharing.—Kelly Roth, Bartow County Public Library, Cartersville, GA