April Underhill, Tooth Fairy

Once again maestro Bob Graham not only tells but also shows his story. He shows readers too, the possibilities within stories – they don’t just take place on the pages after the title page, and when the book is read they can extend ‘far out to the horizon’. In this new picture book April and Esme Underhill, two tiny sisters, embark on their first job as official tooth fairies. Dad and Mum warn them that children must never see them when they leave a shining coin in exchange for a tooth. Clutching a string bag to put the tooth in, they set off through the night air to Daniel Dangerfield’s house. When Daniel does stir, they close his eyes again and whisper that he dreamed seeing them. This advice is relayed by text from Mum, who, a modern mother, is reassured that her daughters can keep in touch via their mobile phone. The merging of the traditional with the modern world will reassure children that the really essential things of life don’t change – they only conform to current circumstances. The Underhills have been in business as tooth fairies since 1691 and it is apparent they intend to continue their vital work, even if lorries going north on the M42 now thunder past their home in a tree stump. As usual Graham’s attention to design and detail seem effortless, and readers who pause to examine the minutiae in his illustrations as they read April Underhill from cover to cover will have a rich experience.