Sweet Tooth

November 1, 2004
In an interesting twist to the familiar story about how annoying it is to deal with an obstinate, demanding child, Palatini (who teamed up with Davis for Bedhead
) puts the shoe on the other foot by fashioning a pint-size hero with a nagging sweet tooth. If Disney were to make a film about tooth decay, The Tooth might sound as if he's channeling Danny De Vito playing Snidely Whiplash: "Blah. Blah. Blah. Enough with the yakkin'. I need a candy bar. Now-ow!
" Young Stewart gets in trouble with his teacher, his family and his friends because of the whining villain. "Those chocolate bunnies never had a chance," the boy explains about his obnoxious behavior. "It was The Tooth." Davis fills his hilarious watercolors with delectable details—bedposts shaped like hot fudge sundaes, dandy candy store wallpaper—and when Stewart decides to take control of his bullying bicuspid by going on a healthy diet, Davis pictures The Tooth waving his porcelain fists as Stewart shovels in peas and broccoli. In desperation, the hero finally aims a carrot that looks suspiciously like a dentist's drill at the wiggly tooth ("Kid! No! Not the carrot!),"
and Stewart blissfully turns him over to The Tooth Fairy. Palatini and Davis here cook up a deliciously sly story that will likely satisfy a craving for lively fun. Ages 4-8.

November 1, 2004
K-Gr 3-Stewart is an "average, everyday kid" with a talking molar that inevitably lures him into trouble. At his cousin's wedding, the tooth demands a large chunk of cake, and when the boy crams it into his mouth, his parents deny that he's their son. At school, its clamoring for candy causes the boy's teacher to send him to the principal's office yet again. He foists off blame with the predictable phrase, "It's The Tooth!" The illustration adds to the hilarity as the molar peeks out of the boy's mouth with an impish and belligerent smirk, its fist raised in apparent anger. Throughout, the mixed-media cartoon artwork extends the comedy of Palatini's text and enriches her characterization of Stewart. In one spread, readers look down on him as he lies on the floor with a stomachache after raiding an Easter basket. This scene adds visual interest with a change in perspective, showing only the feet of his family members-even the paws of the cat-clustered around the sick boy. When Stewart finally tells his molar that he's switching to a "Healthy diet," Davis uses rosy red to perk up the palette and show the youngster's new determination to win the war with the tooth. Finally, Stewart extracts it with the help of a big carrot and the Tooth Fairy administers justice in an upbeat ending. With a rollicking text and charming illustrations, this adventure is a scrumptious delight.-James K. Irwin, Nichols Library, Naperville, IL

Copyright 2004 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

October 1, 2004
K-Gr. 3. One of young Stewart's molars demands a steady stream of sweets. Often the cravings become so bad that Stewart goes into feeding frenzies at the most inappropriate times. Stewart retaliates against the pesky molar with a steady stream of vegetables until it finally falls out and is collected by the tooth fairy. This is an amusing story, but the zany, cartoonish, mixed-media illustrations are the real treat, especially in chaotic scenes of sweets flying in all directions as friends and relatives look on in horror. The molar itself lingers in the back of Stewart's mouth, a comic, angry, and malevolent presence. Kids are sure to enjoy this funny, but not overly didactic, look at the dangers of a sweet tooth enjoying unchecked power.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2004, American Library Association.)